Jimrex Jaca


Jemuel Buena Divino, more known as Jimrex Jaca is a Filipino professional boxer who held the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation super bantamweight title. He also challenged for the WBO interim featherweight title once.

Professional career

Early career

Jaca vs. Pacquiao

On 10 August 2001, Jaca, aged 17 fought Manny Pacquiao's infamous brother Bobby Pacquiao in Cebu City, Jaca managed to knock Pacquiao out in 1 round.

GAB Filipino bantamweight champion

On 21 October 2001, Jaca fought 10–3–1 Alfren Bulala for the vacant GAB Filipino bantamweight title, Jaca won the title via unanimous decision. Jaca would vacate the title immediately and move back up to the super bantamweight division to fight journeyman Andy Alagenio on 8 February 2002 and prevail via second-round TKO.

GAB Filipino super bantamweight champion

On 26 July 2002, Jaca challenged the reigning snd defending GAB Filipino super bantamweight champion Dino Olivetti in Cebu City, Jaca dethroned Olivetti via second-round KO.
Jaca defended his Filipino crown against former PABA bantamweight champion Joel Junio on 15 November 2002 in Surigao City and won via UD, afterward he defended his title once more against Pederito Laurente on 15 March 2003, in which, he won via UD again.

OPBF super bantamweight champion

Jaca vs. Laurente II

On 30 January 2004, Jaca rematched his former for Pederito Laurente who suddenly won the OPBF super bantamweight championship, their match took place at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino in Cebu City, Jaca was able to defeat Laurente again via UD with the wide-margin scores of 117–110, 119–109 and 116–111, he also scored a knockdown in the fourth round.

Jaca vs. Kunimi

On 30 May 2004, Jaca was set to make his first OPBF title defense against Yasuo Kunimi, however he would be stripped the day before due to missing weight, weighing 3 and a half pounds over the super bantamweight limit, thus, the title was only at stake for Kunimi. Kunimi would beat him via a seventh-round KO.

Super featherweight

Jaca vs. Hernandez

After beating season veteran compatriot Samuel Duran to win the GAB super featherweight title on 25 Nov 2005, on 21 January 2006, Jaca faced Mexican journeyman Geronimo Hernandez on the Erik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao II undercard in Las Vegas, Nevada, this marked Jaca's debut in the United States. Jaca scored an impressive first-round stoppage.

OPBF ratings issue and OPBF super featherweight title challenge vs. Honmo

In March 2006, Jaca, who was previously unranked by the OPBF in the super featherweight division, was suddenly elevated to no. 1 in the ratings, despite his bouts in the super featherweight division being not that credible enough yet, with some even arguing that his wins over Samuel Duran and Geronimo Hernandez were not that great, stating that Duran was a "washed" 100-bouts veteran and Hernandez' can be considered as a "bum." Furthermore, Jaca's compatriot Czar Amonsot who was no. 3 last December 2005 ratings was suddenly dropped from the rankings, marking questions in the OPBF super featherweight ratings.
Due to Jaca being the no. 1 contender now, he was mandated to fight for the vacant OPBF super featherweight strap against Nobuhito Honmo on 20 May 2006 in Tokyo. Jaca would however lose to the Japanese boxer via unanimous decision.

Mano-A-Mano

After his loss against Honmo, Jaca would be scheduled to face against Mexican Hector Javier Marquez in the historic Mano-A-Mano event between Manny Pacquiao and Óscar Larios on 25 August 2007 at the Araneta Coliseum. Jaca would win via seventh-round unanimous technical decision after Jaca's cut, which he received in the third round worsened and Jaca was unfit to continue.

Featherweight

Jaca vs. Márquez

In late 2006, it was announced that Jaca was scheduled against former world champion and reigning WBO interim featherweight champion Juan Manuel Márquez for the title scheduled for 26 October 2006 under the Golden Boy Promotions. However it would be "cancelled" due to Jaca's visa issues, upon learning that news, Jaca's long-time manager and stable leader Rex "Wakee" Salud reached out to Top Rank to include Jaca in the Manny Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales III undercard, in which, the promotion would remove one scheduled bout just to accommodate for Jaca's match. Unfortunately for Salud, he got a call that the Jaca-Márquez bout would be pushed through 25 November 2006 schedule under the Golden Boys Promotions, to Salud's dismay as he was informed that the bout was cancelled not postponed, Salud had already committed the match under the Pacquiao-Morales III card on November 18. Salud would inform Jimrex Jaca and his trainer on November 2 to inform them about the commotions and to prepare to head on November 4 to train at the Wild Card Gym, Jaca would ask to go home to Sibulan. Unbeknownst to Salud, Jaca would suddenly flown towards the U.S. on November 2, to add things up, Oscar De La Hoya would receive information that Jaca is indeed training already in the Golden Boy Gym, against Salud's plans. Furthermore, Salud's manager contract with Jaca was supposed to last until 2009, however, Jaca went against his permissions, Salud who has been always at Jaca's side since he turned pro at 17 years old admitted that he felt cheated and insisted that Jaca's action was an act of treason.
Setting his problems aside, Jaca would be scheduled to a WBO interim championship against Márquez as initially planned, now on 25 November 2025 at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. Márquez' trainer-manager Ignacio "Nacho" Beristáin would admit that Márquez may be fighting a "first-class" opponent after observing Jaca's previous bouts, including the Mano-A-Mano match, Beristáin would state that the younger, taller and perhaps faster Jaca may be a formidable one and ultimately gained his respect. In the fight, Jaca would give a respectable and credible performance against the much more experienced and better foe, the two fighters of opposing stance gave an enjoyable back-and-forth match with Márquez nealry being dropped by Jaca from a counrr in the second round and receiving a cut that streamed blood down in Márquez' right side of his face. Ultimately, Márquez would be performing better and getting the best of exchanges en route to an incredible ninth-round knockout. In January 2007, it was reported that infamous referee Laurence Cole, who is notoriously known for his rather questionable refereeing in high-class level bouts was fined and temporarily suspended after he was reported telling the bloodied Márquez that he was winning on the scorecards and he insisted that Márquez should avoid retiring in the corner. Previously in the eighth round, Cole brought Márquez to the ringside medics in which the medics said that he was still fit. Conclusively, Cole was fined $500 and suspended from January 1 to July 1, in which he gave reasons to why he did that and apologized.

Return to super featherweight

WBO Asia Pacific super featherweight champion

On 24 February 2007, Jaca would return to the Philippines to fight reining WBO Asia Pacific super featherweight champion Simson Butar Butar whom defeated Czar Amonsot for the title. Jaca would be victorious and reign as new WBO Asia Pacific champion via seventh-round knockout.

Jaca vs. Miyagi I and II

On 25 August 2007, Jaca defended his WBO Asia Pacific crown against slugger and power puncher Ryuta Miyagi at the SM Mall of Asia IMAX theater in Pasay. In the first round, Jaca would be dropped twice by Miyagi, showing the lack of defence but he would be able to get back on his feet and knock Miyagi down too once in the first round. The bout would end in the second round as it was stopped on cuts and ruled as a technical decision, by boxing rules, a technical decision before completing four rounds would be immediately ruled as a technical draw. They would have their second meeting in the same venue on 14 November 2007, billed as the "Battle of Manila II" in which, it would again abruptly end raw as the bout finished even faster, lasting only two minutes and thirty-six seconds before being ruled a technical decision due to a deep cut on Miyagi's forehead caused by a clash of heads. Prior to their second meeting, Jaca would be seemingly stripped or vacated of the WBO Asia Pacific title as he was unable to defend the title against Miyagi the second time.

Lightweight

Gatekeeper role

On 15 March 2008, Jaca made his lightweight division debut against former world-title challenger 32–3–2, 15KOs Kengo Nagashima in a ten-rounder bout in Tokyo. Jaca would be able to drop Nagashima in the second round but he would lose via unanimous decision. On 27 June 2008, Jaca faced former WBA super featherweight champion Yodsanan Sor Nanthachai in Pattaya, Thailand, Jaca lost via sixth-round TKO, solidifying his gatekeeper role against higher-level oppositions. On 22 October 2008, Jaca, who was reported pretty out of shaped, challenged Saddam Kietyongyuth for the WBC Asia lightweight title in Nonthaburi. Jaca would receive his third loss in a row as he was stopped in the second round.

Super lightweight

Return

On 23 January 2010, after a long hiatus, Jaca returned to face 13–2–1 Indonesian Ramadhan Weriuw in Pasay, Jaca would return to the winning column as he knocked Weriuw out in the fifth round.

WBO Oriental super lightweight champion

After facing decent to above decent oppositions in the Philippines, Jaca would compose a new record of 37–6–3, 21KOs before fighting former WBC FECARBOX champion and Mexican contender José Emilio Perea for the vacant WBO Oriental super lightweight championship in Cebu City on 25 May 2013. Jaca's opponent Perea and his trainer notably made confident statements, arguing that Perea will defeat Jaca in a manner. Jaca would beat Perea via unanimous decision with the scores of 116–110 and 115–112, Jaca was deducted a point for an intentional headbutt in round 9 and was dropped once in the final round. After the event, ALA Promotions, Jaca's stable complained that Perea have used epinephrine, an adrenaline-boosting drug at his corner, as shown in a video tape used by ALA Promotions to prove the allegations.