Cristian Araneta

Christian Aniadas Araneta (born 16 March 1995) is a Filipino professional boxer who competes in the light-flyweight division. Nicknamed “The Bomb”, he is known for his southpaw stance and knockout power, having won 20 of his 25 victories by stoppage. Araneta has held multiple regional titles, including the WBO Oriental and WBC-ABC Silver belts, and is a former world title challenger.

Araneta began his professional career in 2013, quickly building an undefeated record before capturing the WBO Oriental light-flyweight title in 2017 with a first-round knockout. He continued his rise by defeating Jerry Tomogdan for the WBC-ABC Silver title in 2018, and later fought in his first world title eliminator against Daniel Valladares in 2019, where he suffered his first professional loss due to a shoulder injury.

He rebounded strongly with a series of stoppage victories, but in 2021 fell short in another IBF world title eliminator against South African contender Sivenathi Nontshinga, despite scoring a dramatic twelfth-round knockdown. Araneta rebuilt his momentum with decisive wins, including a first-round knockout of Arvin Magramo in an eliminator that reestablished him as a top contender.

In June 2025, Araneta fought Thailand’s Thanongsak Simsri for the vacant IBF light-flyweight world championship at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. Though he entered the bout as the IBF’s No. 1 ranked contender, Araneta was defeated by split decision in a closely contested fight, narrowly missing out on achieving his dream of becoming a world champion.