MANILA – Ilonggo fighter Jenel “The Demolition Man” Lausa made a tough career move after deciding to call it quits on boxing and shift his full focus on the mixed martial arts (MMA).
Lausa, a native of Concepcion, Iloilo, said focusing entirely on MMA will benefit him in the long run now that he has inked a multi-bout deal with BRAVE Combat Federation in February.
“I equally love boxing and MMA. It’s tough, to be honest. But I know this decision will be beneficial career-wise,” the 32-year-old Lausa said.
“I have to think long-term. Here in MMA, I can have a regular fix of fights that is why, right now, my priority [is] MMA and to perform to the best of my ability as part of BRAVE CF,” he added.
The Ilonggo boxer was set to revive his professional boxing career last year after signing a promotional deal with promoter Dante Almario. However, he was not able to fight in the boxing ring due to the health pandemic.
“Boxing events in the Philippines have been hampered by the pandemic that is why I feel blessed that BRAVE CF opened the door to me. That alone is already an indication that I have to prioritize MMA,” he said.
Lausa became a professional boxer several years ago. He was a former holder of the interim Philippines Boxing Federation’s super bantamweight title and Global Boxing Organization Asia-Pacific’s super featherweight crown. He will leave the sport with an unblemished 10-0-1 win-loss-draw ring record including six victories by way of stoppages.
Now that he is sure of concluding his boxing career, the Ilonggo hopes to bounce back after a forgetful debut in the BRAVE CF 47: ASIAN DOMINATION in March, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Kyrgyz prospect Ryskulbek Ibraimov.
“Not winning my debut is hard to swallow, but it came with a realization that I have to reorganize my goals and priorities,” he said.
“The loss turned out to be a blessing, not just a lesson… Now, I am living as a true and dedicated Filipino MMA fighter. Here in MMA, you have to think as a mixed martial artist day in and day out. Today, I can say that I see things clear as day,” he added./PN
