Pinoy ‘Journey Man’ to face Colombian ‘Scorpion’ in Vegas

CEBU, Philippines — After two failed attempts, Filipino veteran Mark John 'Journey Man' Yap (30-15, 15KOs) hopes to finally score a win in the United States when he battles three-time world title challenger Miguel 'Scorpion' Marriaga (29-3, 25KOs) of Colombia in a scheduled 10-round featherweight main event on July 16 (July 17 Phl time) inside the "Bubble" at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The Cagayan de Oro City-native Yap, now based in Osaka, Japan, will be the third Pinoy to fight since the boxing restart last month after 'Magic' Mike Plania and Mark 'Machete' Bernaldez, both of General Santos City's Sanman Gym.

Plania pulled off a stunner after scoring two solid knockdowns in a majority decision upset of WBO top bantamweight contender Joshua 'Don't Blink' Greer Jr. while Bernaldez lost by a unanimous decision shutout to the taller and slick-punching Albert Bell.

The 31-year-old Yap will try to weave his own story as he seeks to snap out of back-to-back defeats on US soil, the last was against the unbeaten American Angel Alejandro on November 23 last year at the MGM Grand.

Yap, who once reigned as the WBC Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight champion,  is a 13-year pro and hasn't been knocked out since he was flattened by Japanese Yuta Uetani in 2014.

Marriaga, on the other hand, faltered in world championship bouts against Nicholas Walters (WBA featherweight), Oscar Valdez (WBO featherweight) and Vasiliy Lomachenko (WBO super featherweight). He bounced back big time though, racking up for straight knockout victories since bowing to Lomachenko in August 2017.

At any rate, Yap must brace for a tough grind against the 33-year-old Marriaga, who looks at him as a stepping stone towards achieving his quest for a fourth world title shot.

“I stayed in shape during the pandemic, and I am thankful to my team for this wonderful opportunity. I want to be a world champion, and a win over Yap will move me one step closer to my ultimate goal. Yap is much better than his record indicates. Neither of us will take a backward step,” said Marriaga in a statement released by Top Rank.  EBV