Former world champion Alex Silva is eyeing a rematch against reigning strawweight king Joshua Pacio of Team Lakay.
"I believe I’m one of the top guys in the division. My last fight was against Joshua , who is the champion. Again, I say I think I won that fight. It was a very close split decision,” said Silva, who holds a 9-5 record.
"Don’t leave the decision in the judges’ hands. That’s the biggest lesson I learned from that fight. Because from my point of view, I’m sure I won that fight. However, I respect the decision. Next time, I just have to finish," added Silva, saying that he deserved to have one more shot for the title contention.
Pacio defended his strawweight belt against the Brazilian grappling specialist, scoring a split decision win last January 2020 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City before sporting events succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both fighters displayed versatility on both ends during the nail-biting five-rounder match.
The 38-year-old Silva hauled points with several takedowns but Pacio showed an improved ground game with a quick recovery to stand back up at his feet.
Pacio, 25, however, downplayed his performance and vowed to come back stronger.
Perhaps a rematch is down the line should Silva emerge as the winner against Japanese foe Hiroba Minowa, who escaped with a controversial split decision victory over Team Lakay's Lito Adiwang.
Another possible matchup for Pacio, who improved to a 19-3 record, would be a trilogy against Japanese rival Yosuke Saruta.