Eric Jamili: Boxing Career and Notable Fights
Filipino boxer Eric Jamili won the vacant WBO minimumweight title in London in December 1997, becoming the first Filipino to hold that championship.
A world title won in London
Jamili stopped Britain’s Mickey Cantwell in the eighth round to claim the vacant belt. His reign lasted until May 1998, when Colombia’s Kermin Guardia stopped him in the fifth round in Jamili’s first defense.
Jamili later challenged Zolani Petelo for the IBF minimumweight title in 1999 and was stopped in the first round. BoxRec and PhilBoxing list his career as ending in 2003 with 15 wins, 11 losses and two draws. The records show both sides of his short championship run: an upset world-title victory followed by a lost defense and further difficult championship challenges.
The route to London and later title attempts
Jamili’s rise included a regional breakthrough in Parañaque on April 30, 1997, when he stopped Inthanon Petchbanden in the first round to win the WBO Inter-Continental minimumweight belt. The victory helped establish his credentials before the vacant world-title opportunity against Cantwell later that year.
In London, a cut caused by Jamili’s punches became decisive. Referee Mark Nelson stopped the contest at 1:22 of Round 8, giving the visiting southpaw the championship even though two judges had Cantwell ahead. That detail helps explain the unexpected nature of the title-winning result.
Jamili faced Guardia again in Miami on March 27, 1999. Despite scoring knockdowns in the fourth and ninth rounds, he lost a twelve-round unanimous decision. The rematch preceded his unsuccessful IBF challenge against Petelo in South Africa. His championship story therefore spans an overseas breakthrough, an unsuccessful first defense and further attempts to regain world-title status in another series of demanding international bouts.
Further career results
Jamili continued competing after the Petelo title challenge. His later results included a knockout win over George Arcenal in Guam in June 2000 and a decision victory over Danny Linasa in Imus in December 2002. His final listed appearance came against Hugo Cazares in Los Mochis in January 2003, ending by technical knockout.
Sources
Additional sources: https://boxerlist.com/en/boxer/eric-jamili/6582
- BoxRec: Eric Jamili
- BoxRec: WBO minimumweight champions
- PhilBoxing: Eric Jamili profile
- PhilBoxing: Jamili wins the WBO title
