THE “HEIR APPARENT” TO MANNY PACQUIAO?

14 July, 2008 by Reylan Loberternos

PINOY FISTIC TRIO MAKING WAVES!

Cebu City, RP- Back in the latter part of 2006, three very promising young Pinoy pugs were introduced to you RingTalk.com readers, namely; AJ “Bazooka” Banal (17-0-1, 14 KOs), Milan “Piston Punch” Milendo (15-0-0, 4 KOs), and Mark Jason “MJM Grand” Melliguen (12-1-0, 9 KOs) of the famed ALA Boxing Stable. Just a little over a year later, we are going to evaluate their respective performances during that span and gorge at some updates that might interest your fistic appetite.

“BAZOOKA” CONTENDS KINGSHIP!

Teenage boxing sensation AJ “Bazooka” Banal will try to elevate his prospect status into a legitimate champion as he vies for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) super flyweight title against 26-yr-old Panamanian Rafael “El Torito” Concepcion (10-2-1, 6 KOs) on the 26th of July at the Cebu Coliseum in Cebu City, Philippines. Banal is coming off a smashing 4th round TKO victory over unbeaten Caril Herrera (21-1-0, 13 KOs) of Uruguay in their International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight (115 lbs.) title eliminator earlier this year. Instead of the IBF providing a titular crack for Banal, the WBA came first with an irresistible offer for the unbeaten Banal to vie for the WBA diadem left vacated and formerly held by unified champion Christian Mijares of Mexico.

BANAL TRIES TO OVERTAKE PACQUIAO

The 19-yr-old Banal, pride of Ermita, Cebu City and Corella, Bohol is also chasing history as he hopes to become the 3rd youngest Filipino world champion. Four-division champion and pound-for-pound boxing superstar Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao currently holds that distinction.

BATTLE OF SOUTHPAWS PROMISES KO!

Team Concepcion has earlier indicated their confidence that their ward will not be subjected to a hometown decision if the outcome of the fight has to go to the scorecards. It was reassuring for them to know that the Philippines is identified for fair and unbiased judging. However, it is highly unlikely for this fight to go the distance considering the explosive nature of both protagonists. Banal is riding on a streak of four knockout victories over fighters with a combined record of (70-15-4, 50 KOs) while Concepcion is coming off two successive knockout wins of his own. Though older by about seven years, “El Torito” will climb the ring as the relatively less experienced fighter with only a total of 58 rounds to his name. The much younger Banal on the other hand has already piled up a total of 81 professional rounds to his resume. But “Bazooka” is the betting favorite and ought not to take his less revered foe lightly. Concepcion has proven to be tough and resilient. Proof of which is his last bout against Jean Piero Perez (12-2-0, 9 KOs) when Concepcion fought through two knockdowns he suffered in the 2nd round and dramatically turn the tide in the succeeding round to score an emphatic knockout victory.

MELINDO KEEPS UNBEATEN STREAK GOING!

World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific minimumweight (105) champion Milan “Piston Punch” Melindo will try to win another one as he tangles with Carlos “Shangai” Melo (18-6-0, 2 KOs) for the WBO Inter-Continental trinket. The 20-yr-old Melindo also hopes to keep his record unscathed and move up in rankings for a chance to challenge for the “real thing” or at least draw an inch closer through a title eliminator in his next outing.

TECHNICAL SHOWDOWN AS CHIEF SUPPORT

This expected technical showdown will serve as the main appetizer for the explosive Banal-Concepcion face-off. Both fighters are better known for the clinical nature of their respective styles, which would surely provide fight fans who prefer slickness, accuracy, and precision over brawn.

“MJM GRAND” ON COMEBACK PATH

After suffering his first setback last year in a fight he almost won, 22-yr-old Philippine light welterweight champion Mark Jason “MJM Grand” Melliguen is now back to his usual deadly form with a string of six victories spiked by 4 knockouts. He is coming off two successive first-round knockout victories over separate foes within the span of just about two months.

COMPLETE JULY 26 FIGHT CARD

Michael Domingo vs Rivo Rengkung (12rds); Milan Melindo vs Carlos Melo (12rds); AJ Banal vs Rafael Concepcion (12rds); Rocky Fuentes vs Roldan Malinao(8rds); James Bacon vs Vacharakit Senakarn (6 rds); Robert Allanic vs Leonardo Doronio (6 rds); and Hilario Canillas vs Ramil Cabalan (4 rds).

DONNIE “THE SNAKE” NIETES: 4TH PINOY WORLD CHAMP… AND COUNTING!

1 October, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


ALA STABLE FINALLY PRODUCES A WORLD CHAMP!

Cebu City, RP – After decades of failed attempts, the Philippines’ premiere boxing stable has finally closed the chapter of failed title bids when, ironically one of its unheralded wards, Donnie “The Snake” Nietes (22-1-3, 13 KOs) captured the vacant WBO minimumweight (105-lb) championship diadem against the erstwhile undefeated Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym (20-1-0, 15 KOs) of Thailand last Sunday at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City, Philippines. Both fighters survived twelve full rounds of fierce action, all of the three judges awarding the fight to Nietes with scores of 116-110, 115-111, and 114-113.

“THE SNAKE” LIVES UP TO HIS MONICKER!

Nietes, slippery as a snake, was a picture of grace and fluid motion, slipping through punches, effectively and masterfully eluding Kratingdaenggym’s relentless barrage of power blows while connecting wicked hooks, straights and uppercuts of his own with remarkable precision. The Pinoy pug played the matador’s role to the Thai bull all night long.

BOUT WAS SHAPING UP TO BE A SHUTOUT

“The Snake” utilized his superior boxing skills to tame the tough-as-nails Thai in the 1st four rounds, boxing beautifully and ably timing his movements to stave off his foe’s unyielding assault. Nietes’ dominance in the first quarter of the bout was highlighted by a perfectly executed body and head combo capped by a right straight to the chin that sent the Thai crashing to the canvass midway through the 4th canto.

“THE BULL” FORCES HIS WAY INSIDE!

But the bull cannot be denied. As if the knockdown he suffered in the previous round was a wake-up call, Kratingdaengym came back with guns ablaze in the fifth, forcing his way inside and finally connecting some vicious blows that visibly slowed down Nietes. The game Filipino bravely obliged, engaging his opponent in an exchange of crisp punches, throwing limited but accurate shots, while the ferocious Thai continued to throw punches in bunches that usually misfired. The same trend followed in the succeeding round. Although missing a lot of haymakers, the strategy seemed to have worked perfectly well for Kratingdaenggym, as Nietes manifested signs of fatigue and appeared to be right for the taking.

RING GENERALSHIP OVER GREAT CONDITIONING

Showing the poise of a grizzled veteran, the 25-yr-old Filipino once again found his groove, as he utilized his vaunted uppercuts and hooks to the head and mid-section to effectively halt the charging 29-yr-old Thai, who also connected with some wicked shots of his own to the breadbasket. Kratingdaenggym apparently was the fresher fighter going into the 8th round until Nietes perfectly executed nice combinations that staggered his Thai counterpart. Nietes utilized his jab and sound defensive skills the rest of the way en route to a unanimous decision victory. Kratingdaenggym was deducted a point in the 10th round for repeated low blows.

PINOY QUADRO ALAS!

With the victory, Nietes joins 3 other Pinoy boxing aces in an elite group of World Champions. He is joined by fellow minimumweight Florante “Little Pacquiao” Condes (IBF), flyweight Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire, Jr. (IBO, IBF) and bantamweight Gerry “Fearless” Peñalosa (WBO) in an exclusive group of current World titlists.

“BAZOOKA” MAKES MEXICAN CHAMP LOOK LIKE A PATSY!

In the main supporting bout, undefeated 18-yr-old Pinoy boxing phenom AJ “Bazooka” Banal (15-0-1, 12 KOs) once again displayed raw punching power as he thrice decked 25-yr-old Mexican Pacific Coast super flyweight champion Esau Gaona and needed only one minute and eight seconds in the first round to stop the Mexican via rousing knockout and become the WBO Youth superflyweight king. His next assignment will be against an equally dangerous foe in Jovanny “Bambino” Sotto (25-7-1, 20 KOs) also of Mexico on December 8th at the Araneta Coliseum in Metro Manila, Philippines.

PHILIPPINES CHALLENGES MEXICO FOR WORLD BOXING CUP!

11 August, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


WBO CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHUPS ON B.A.D.!

Tagbilaran City, RP – HBO’s Boxing After Dark features two highly-anticipated WBO championship matchups between top-tier pugilists from the Philippines and Mexico in the Golden Boy Promotions’ “World Cup of Boxing” at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California this Saturday, August 11.

SIX GREAT MATCHUPS AT STAKE!

Fight fans at the venue are going to be treated to a total of six solid pairs of Filipino-Mexican electrifying clashes. Undefeated boxing phenom Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista (23-0-0, 17 KOs) leads five other Pinoy warriors as he challenges reigning and defending WBO junior featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (31-1-0, 28 KOs), who also captains his Mexican compatriots in defending the coveted “World Cup of Boxing”, which team Mexico won against team Thailand in the first edition of this GBP brainchild.

“BOOM-BOOM” & PONCE SET TO JOIN DEEP 122-LB MIX!

Exactly a week after fellow Mexicans Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez provided fight fans with arguably the best and most explosive bout for 2007 thus far, another pair of brave super bantamweights collide in what could yet again be an exhilarating matchup between two heavy-handed combatants who could someday join the mix in the very deep pool of 122 pounders. Bautista and De Leon, superbly conditioned fighters with very outstanding knockout ratios, will both try to inflict as much damage as they can on each other, while boxing pundits predict that whoever lands first will bring home the bacon.

PEÑALOSA VS GONZALES AS CHIEF SUPPORT!

Former world champion Gerry “Fearless” Peñalosa (51-6-2, 34 KOs) tries to wrest the WBO bantamweight belt from Mexican holder Jhonny Gonzales (34-5-0, 29 KOs) in the co-featured bout of the evening. Coincidentally, Peñalosa and Gonzales once tried their luck in an attempt to grab a championship belt in the heavier 122-lb weight class, challenging world titlists Daniel Ponce De Leon and Israel Vasquez, respectively. Both fighters showed flashes of brilliance during their respective titular challenges, but ended up short with Peñalosa losing via UD and Gonzales getting knocked out in the 10th round.

IT’S GOING TO BE A HIGHLY STRATEGIC BATTLE!

In strong contrast to the volatile and vastly barbarous nature of the main event, the Peñalosa-Gonzales tussle is going to be a battle of wits and strategic execution. The Filipino will likely force his way inside to limit the effective reach advantage as well as to shorten Gonzales’ punches, thereby decreasing the impact of the blows from the rangy Mexican champion. Peñalosa is a defensive master with a granite chin, manifested by the fact that he hasn’t been stopped in any of his 59 professional career bouts. Gonzales, known to be a hard puncher, is therefore not expected to impose his will on the crafty Filipino veteran and go for the knockout, which could very well prove to be a futile attempt. Instead, he’d rather try to keep Gerry at bay and utilize his overwhelming advantages in effective reach and agility to the hilt – an opponent’s characteristics and style, which have been common in Peñalosa’s previous career losses.

Z GORRES TAKES ON ERIC ORTIZ!

Flashy and ring savvy Filipino super flyweight Z “The Dream” Gorres (26-2-1, 14 KOs) jumpstarts his comeback trail as he takes on former WBC light flyweight champion Eric Ortiz (26-6-1, 17 KOs) in the 12-round undercard. Z was supposed to face-off with Gerson Guerrero in an IBF super flyweight title eliminator, but the latter was removed from the card after doctors found out that he has a detached retina, which made him unfit to fight. Eric Ortiz was also initially pitted against undefeated Pinoy rising star Alex John “Bazooka” Banal (13-0-1, 10 KOs) before the Guerrero episode came about. Banal will then strut his stuff against Jorge Cardenas (9-3-3, 6 KOs) in a 6-round affair that will serve as the curtain raiser for the 6-bout “World Cup of Boxing” marathon.

ACTION-PACKED UNDERCARDS!

Fellow ALA boy Michael Domingo (31-14-2, 12 KOs), on the other hand, makes his US debut as he trades mitts with undefeated Mexican super bantamweight Miguel Roman (22-0-0, 16 KOs) in 8 rounds of expected brutal action. Skillful super flyweight southpaw Diosdado “Prince” Gabi (29-3-1, 21 KOs) completes the 6-man Filipino contingent as he struts his stuff against a much bigger Jose Angel Beranza (30-9-2, 25 KOs) of Mexico in an 8-round brawl.

BATAWANG-VERDE SHOULD HAVE MADE IT 7!

Hard-hitting 35-yr-old Filipino light flyweight Bert “Batman” Batawang (50-6-0, 34 KOs) promised an impressive performance in his first US outing when he was supposed to clash against Gerardo Verde (15-4-0, 11 KOs) of Mexico in the other 12-round non-title fight. However, in a late development, the Batawang-Verde encounter was scrapped from the fight because Verde was unable to pass the required medical test due to, coincidentally so, detached retinas.

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ERIK MORALES GOES FOR BROKE! SIZZLING UNDERCARD SATURDAY

02 August, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


OVER THE HILL WARRIOR GOES FOR FOUR

Chicago, IL – Losing four out of his last five matches, the last two via brutal beat downs, Tijuana’s pride Erik “El Terrible” Morales (48-5-0, 34 KOs) once again tries to muster what seems to be an almost empty basin of pugilistic potency as he tries to prove to fans and pundits alike that he’s not done yet. He looks to further fortify his entry into the annals of boxing by way of a fourth title in as many weight classes. WBC interim lightweight (135 lbs.) champ David Diaz (32-1-1, 17 KOs) stands in his way, when both fighters lock horns in a boxing card dubbed as “War for 4” at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois this Saturday, August 4.

WILL MORALES PULL OFF A SHOCKER?

Probably not… but who knows? Erik is no spring chicken. He’s had 53 career bouts (40 wars?) to his name, the majority of which were performed via the usual give-and-take action that “El Terrible” is known for. Most boxing experts say that the accumulated punishment in all those bouts has already taken its toll on the proud Mexican warrior, citing his recent debacles as a clear manifestation that it’s time for him to finally hang up his gloves. However, Morales has other things in mind and promised to prove skeptics wrong.

WHAT’S THIS BOUT ALL ABOUT YOU ASK?

Not to mention the money involved, this encounter could very well serve as Diaz’s springboard to superstardom. Beating a guy of Morales’ stature will definitely boost his stock and add a little bit of fervor to his otherwise untested resume. If the opposite happens, that is if the seemingly way over-the-hill Morales still proves to be a tough test to hurdle for the aspiring superstar prospect in David Diaz, then Morales fans could either look forward to more fights on the horizon, or their hero retiring as a champion. Win or lose, this is going to be an exciting fight. If you think otherwise, you better ask yourself this simple question. Discounting his duck chase against Zahir Raheem, when was the last time you watched Erik Morales in a boring fight?

RECENT MAIN EVENTS HAVE BEEN DUDS!

Undercards-outshining-the-main-events seems to be the trend in Pay-Per-View boxing spectacles lately. The most recent highly appreciated show stealer was the bloody and action-packed encounter between undefeated WBO interim lightweight king Michael Katsidis of Australia and 21-yr-old rising star from the Philippines Czar Amonsot. Apart maybe from Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins’ unsolicited post fight comment regarding the purportedly “staged” weigh-in melee, fight fans who witnessed that night’s PPV affair probably only had vivid memories of the non-stop action that the supporting bout between Katsidis and Amonsot had to offer and most likely nothing about the Hopkins-Wright tango.

MAYOL-SOLIS COULD BE SHOW STEALER!

Exactly two weeks after Katsidis and Amonsot stole the show from Winky and Bernard, two highly talented and equally explosive light flyweights (108 lbs.) will try to duplicate, if not surpass what the lightweights accomplished inside the squared circle. One-time world championship challenger Rodel “Batang Mandaue” Mayol (23-1-0, 18 KOs) of the Philippines revs up as he takes on IBF titlist Ulises “Archie” Solis (24-1-2, 18 KOs) of Mexico for the latter’s belt.

BOTH FIGHTERS ON EQUAL FOOTING

Their records and physical features are almost identical. Both of them also possess excellent boxing savvy with above average pop in both fists. Solis might have an edge in the quality of opposition, beating former world champions Jose Antonio Aguirre (34-6-1, 20 KOs), Will Grigsby (18-4-1, 7 KOs), Erik Ortiz (26-6-1, 17 KOs), and Edgar Sosa (28-5-0, 14 KOs) to name a few. Mayol, on the other hand, can only take into account a loss to current WBC minimumweight (105) king Eagle Kyowa (18-1-0, 6 KOs) as his lone high profile experience, which, however, is greatly attributed to the fact that during the earlier part of his professional boxing career, highly-rated boxers in his division weren’t willing to risk their lofty status against a very live opponent in Mayol.

TWO GUYS THAT ARE REAL WARRIORS

Fireworks! Nothing less is expected as these two little giants clash in what could be another fight of the year candidate. Both agile, technically proficient and not afraid to trade punches, fight fans will surely be treated to an explosive showdown of gigantic proportions!

TWIN WINS: CONDES DECISIONS RACHMAN, AS DONAIRE KOS DARCHINYAN IN FIVE!

08 July, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS!

Tagbilaran City, RP – The rainy season has just begun. After months of waiting and failed attempts at wresting a world championship belt, two proud Filipino warriors have finally captured what their compatriots have been dreaming of in a very long while. Pinoy pugilists 27-yr-old Florante Condes and 24-yr-old Nonito Donaire now stand as the lone Filipino world champions, as both combatants secured contrasting championship victories over their respective foes in opposite sides of the globe.

HAIL THE NEW IBF MINIMUMWEIGHT KING!

Pint-sized Florante “Little Pacquiao” Condes (22-3-1, 20 KOs) showed ‘tremendous power and fighting heart’ to eke out a split decision victory over erstwhile IBF minimumweight king Muhammad Rachman (62-6-5, 31 KOs) of Indonesia with scores of 114-112, 113-117, and 114-112, according to a report from Philboxing.com’s Salven L. Lagumbay, who acted as one of the judges at ringside. Condes decked Rachman twice, once in the 3rd and once in the 10th canto.

NONITO DONAIRE SHOCKS THE WORLD!

Not a day later, US-based Filipino Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire (18-1-0, 11 KOs) followed suit by wresting the IBF and IBO flyweight titles from overwhelming favorite and previously undefeated Australia-based Armenian Vic “The Raging Bull” Darchinyan (28-1-0, 22 KOs) with an emphatic 5th round KO victory. This was a rather sweet victory for Donaire, as he exacts revenge for his younger brother Glenn, who fell prey to Darchinyan’s awesome punching power last year.

IS THIS THE START OF A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST?

Less than a month from now, four other Filipino hopefuls will try to duplicate, if not surpass, what Condes and Donaire have achieved inside the squared circle.

AMONSOT IN POSITION FAMILIAR TO DONAIRE!

Facing tremendous odds, 21-yr-old lightweight Czar Amonsot (18-2-1,10 KOs) of the Philippines now has a bright spot to look at, as he hopes to annex the interim WBO lightweight title from hard-punching phenom Michael “Rocky” Katsidis (22-0-0, 20 KOs) of Australia two weeks from now underneath the Hopkins-Wright tussle. Donaire’s victory over Darchinyan should provide Amonsot with a glimmer of hope that talent and skill can definitely neutralize power.

MAYOL BATTLES SOLIS IN AUGUST!

Fireworks! Nothing less is expected, as the very talented Rodel “Magnum Force” Mayol (23-1-0, 18 KOs) tries to unseat the IBF light flyweight champ Ulises “Archie” Solis (24-1-2, 18 KOs) of Mexico on the 4th of August. This fight between the 25-yr-old pugs will serve as one of the appetizers for the WBC lightweight championship showdown between Erik Morales and David Diaz.

BAUTISTA AND PEÑALOSA ION SPOTS TO WIN!

One of the world’s best prospects, undefeated Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista (23-0-0, 17 KOs), and one of the world’s best technical fighters, Gerry “Fearless” Peñalosa (51-6-2, 34 KOs), hope to close the one-month bonanza with a big bang as they try to snatch WBO titles from Mexican compatriots super bantamweight champ Daniel Ponce De Leon (31-1-0, 28 KOs) and bantamweight king Jhonny Gonzales (34-5-0, 29 KOs), respectively. These bouts will be featured in a blockbuster Golden Boy Promotions fight card dubbed as the “World Cup of Boxing” between Mexico and the Philippines on August 11 in Sacramento, California.

TOP RANK-GOLDEN BOY PACT GOOD FOR PACQUIAO…BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SPORT?

01 July, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


“PACMAN” BREATHES A MAJOR SIGH OF RELIEF

Manila, RP- After all the drama and suspense that could have rivaled that of “The Sopranos,” Filipino firebomb Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao can now safely say that he’s literally over the hump and can very well look forward to a great future of prizefighting. It took two weeks of court-ordered mediation and an effective mediator in Daniel Weinstein to finally put to rest the longstanding feud between promotional companies Top Rank and Golden Boy. Both parties signed the “peace treaty,” which included a stipulation on confidentiality, last Friday.

FOR THE SPORT… OR JUST ABOUT CASH?

With all the shortchanging that promotional companies have done to the boxing fans over the years, more so recently, charging big while not giving us match-ups that the great majority crave for, it’s hard to imagine if this is even about their “so called” love for the sport. It might interest you to note that what Weinstein, a retired judge, all did was just to make both parties realize the financial burden and opportunity losses that both of them could sustain, unless they settle their differences. And when both parties realized that only their lawyers are laughing their way to the bank, all of a sudden they decided to put the past behind them… or did they really? Bottom line, it’s just business, as usual.

IS THE SETTLEMENT GOOD FOR THE SPORT?

However, amidst all this whining, some good things have somehow surfaced. There would no longer be any reason not to stage marquee match-ups between fighters belonging to Top Rank and Golden Boy. Apart from fights involving Pacquiao, there are equally interesting potential face-offs in other weight divisions that would not have been deemed possible, considering the erstwhile promotional dispute. But when the chips are down, will this sort of tie-up really end up being good for the sport in the long run?

BARRERA WINS THE PACQUIAO LOTTERY!

Already in the twilight of his illustrious boxing career, Mexican superstar Marco Antonio “The Baby-Faced Assassin” Barrera still landed with what could be the biggest fight of his life – financially, that is. Barrera will probably receive a guaranteed purse of not less than $3 million, excluding PPV shares and merchandise sales. Pacquiao, on the other hand, will most likely have the lion’s share that could amount to an assured $5 M – also a career high.

SHOULD WE EXPECT THE SAME RESULT?

Yes and no. Yes, because the vastly improved Pacquiao (compared to the last time these two fighters met) is likely to score a repeat. No, because a surprise is not very evident. In direct contrast to his previous encounter with Pacquiao in November of 2003, Barrera, already way past his prime, is expected to be the overwhelming underdog in this much less intriguing rematch. But who knows? Barrera might have one last secret weapon under his sleeve…or better yet, we might as well consider the fact that two shrewd promotional companies have just joined forces. The inevitable big bucks that a third installment could generate will certainly be welcomed by the whole cast with wide-open arms.

FIGHT WILL DEFINITELY BE IN VEGAS!

The Pacquiao-Barrera rematch has been initially set on October 6 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be the first fight that Top Rank and Golden Boy will co-promote a boxing spectacle since Barrera and Morales locked horns for the third and probably the last time a couple of years back.

”FILIPINO CONNECTION” NOTES

One-time world title challenger Rodel “Magnum Force” Mayol (23-1-0, 18 KOs) has recently secured another crack at a world title, this time against IBF junior flyweight (108 lbs.) champion Ulises “Archie” Solis (24-1-2, 18 KOs) of Mexico, which will serve as curtain raiser of the Erik Morales-David Diaz showdown on the 4th of August. Mayol is the fighter who’s primarily responsible for my interest in the sport. We used to jump off the school dormitory fence (curfew) when we were still in college just to see this very skillful and exciting young fellow knock his opponent out. Here’s a guy who possesses a great combination of power and skill. This is going to be a blast! Better see it to believe it.


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THE EPITOME OF A SECOND CHANCE!

19 June, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


PHILIPPINE BOXING’S PRODIGAL SON RETURNS!

Tagbilaran City, RP – After suffering a career-threatening setback at the hands of the same guy who put a dent on his erstwhile immaculate record, Czar Amonsot (18-2-1, 10 KOs) of the famed ALA Boxing Stable is back and this time, he’s dead serious about it! Only a handful even thought that the vastly colorful Filipino would ever recover from an apparently self-inflicted demise. Fortunately for the 21-yr-old Amonsot, lady luck still chose to smile at him the second time around.

ALA BOSS SAYS CZAR IS A GOOD KID

Contrary to popular notion, highly revered boxing impresario Antonio Lopez Aldeguer said that Czar is a good-natured kid. He also added that his ward’s unceremonious predicament, highlighted by a 1st round KO loss, was more due to family issues rather than on his alleged attitudinal problems and unwillingness to train. This, coupled with Amonsot’s guarantee and determination to change his ways, probably was the primary reason for the ever forgiving and magnanimous Aldeguer to give his charge another chance to show his worth inside the squared circle.

AMONSOT CHALLENGES KATSIDIS FOR WBO BELT!

However, the road back to redemption isn’t handed to him on a silver platter. In view of his lofty status as the reigning WBO Asia Pacific lightweight titlist, Amonsot was recently offered a crack at the Interim WBO lightweight belt presently held by Michael Katsidis of Australia, who sports a perfect record of 22 victories spiked with 20 knockouts. Despite the fearsome record of the 26-yr-old Australian nicknamed “Rocky”, Team Amonsot never hesitated on accepting the offer. According to Ronnie Nathanielz of Philboxing.com, Amonsot’s purse will be $30,000. The titular showdown is scheduled on July 21 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada underneath the Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins – Ronald “Winky” Wright face-off.

CLASH OF CONTRASTING STYLES

Apart from it being an orthodox-versus-southpaw jugular, this fight is also expected to be a battle between two contrasting styles. Katsidis, known for his explosive and devil-may-care approach might find himself in a tough situation against the highly technical and skillful Amonsot. Depending on the performance set forth by the talented Filipino, this encounter could very well expose or otherwise validate the great prospect that Katsidis is.

GORRES GETS HIS SECOND CHANCE TOO!

Already physically and emotionally recovered from his heartbreaking split decision loss to WBO super flyweight king Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel (32-2-1, 24 KOs) of Mexico, Filipino ring tactician Z “The Dream” Gorres (26-2-1, 14 KOs) continues his quest to snatch the seemingly elusive world championship diadem. This time, however, he is more inclined to seize one from another sanctioning body, as he is scheduled to trade mitts with Gerson “El Nene” Guerrero (33-7-0, 25 KOs) in a 12-round mandatory eliminator for the chance to vie for the IBF super flyweight title.

“WORLD CUP OF BOXING” SET IN STONE

The Gorres-Guerrero tussle will form part of the mammoth fight card dubbed as the “World Cup of Boxing”, a brainchild of Golden Boy Promotions, which features some of the current and former champions and top prospects of Mexico and the Philippines. This fight card, top billed by a WBO super bantamweight championship bout between undefeated Filipino firebomb Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista (23-0-0, 17 KOs) and defending champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (31-1-0, 28 KOs) of Mexico, will be held this August 11 in Sacramento, California and shown on HBO’s Boxing After Dark.

PEÑALOSA-GONZALES AS MAIN SUPPORT!

Nobody in boxing has probably had more second chances than former World super flyweight champion Gerry “Fearless” Peñalosa (51-6-2, 34 KOs) of the Philippines. That, of course, was written in jest, as the savvy veteran gets yet another second chance of challenging for another title. He moves down to his preferred weight division after his gutsy but failed attempt to unseat WBO 122-lb king Daniel Ponce De Leon, and now tries to wrest the bantamweight version from another Mexican and current holder Jhonny Gonzales (34-5-0, 29 KOs). The Peñalosa-Gonzales clash will act as the chief supporting bout of the above-mentioned World Cup of Boxing between Mexico and the Philippines.


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NOTES ON FLOYD-OSCAR “CHESS MATCH”

06 May,2007 by Reylan Loberternos


“PRETTY BOY” OUTPACES “GOLDEN BOY”!

Tagbilaran City, RP – “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (38-0-0, 24 KOs) kept his unbeaten slate as he eked out a split decision victory over a game, but evidently outpaced “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya (38-5-0, 30 KOs). Both fighters stuck to their respective game plans early on, with De La Hoya having the better of the exchanges, utilizing his jab and his left hooks to the breadbasket of the very elusive Mayweather.

OSCAR SAYS “IT WAS ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS”

“It was one of those nights.” This was what the erstwhile defending WBC super welterweight champ said in the post fight interview with HBO’s Larry Merchant, referring to his “sudden” abandoning of his jab. In the first seven rounds, Oscar efficiently utilized his “effective reach” advantage by throwing jabs that somehow staved off Mayweather’s relatively few, but carefully measured attacks. In my scorecards, De La Hoya did enough to win rounds 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7. The fourth and seventh cantos showcased the perfect strategy that the Golden Boy should have utilized throughout the fight. He effectively blocked Mayweather’s stinging jabs with his gloves and arms during that stretch.

THEN CAME THE EIGHTH AND ONWARDS!

While Oscar was slowly sidetracking from his initially successful fight strategy, Floyd wisely and patiently stuck to his game plan, using his lightning quick reflexes. Mayweather moved around the ring and fought from a distance. De La Hoya kept moving forward, but only this time, he was moving in without throwing his jabs, which apparently turned out to be a very big mistake. This paved the way for Mayweather to accurately measure his foe and beat him to the punch with precise jabs and right hooks to the head and mid-section.

CONDITIONING WON IT FOR FLOYD!

While it can’t be denied that Floyd probably has the best defense and natural skills in the business, his superb conditioning definitely did him well for this particular encounter, too. Going into the tenth round, De La Hoya was visibly exhausted from his non-stop stalking of speedy Mayweather. Floyd, on the other hand, still looked as fresh as he was in the first round. Those crisp body shots he received in the earlier rounds coming from a De La Hoya left hook, including ten consecutive to the side of the belly in the fourth, could have taken their toll on him in the later rounds had he not been in excellent condition.

FLOYD “MASTERED” THE ART OF CLINCHING!

Caught in the ropes to the delight of the pro-De La Hoya crowd, Mayweather would get himself out of trouble by pinning Golden Boy’s arms to halt the attack. Referee Kenny Bayless, who did a great job officiating the event, would immediately step in and provide Mayweather enough space to avoid another assault from De La Hoya. One other thing that aided and abetted Pretty Boy was his tremendous composure. He displayed remarkable poise especially every time he was faced with a De La Hoya onslaught.

LAST ROUND TOO CLOSE TO CALL

The final round was close. It could have spelled the difference between a win and a draw (at least on my scorecard). Nevertheless, while everybody probably expected Floyd to just cruise and dance it out till the sound of the final bell, he somehow did the unexpected. Floyd duked it out with Oscar, throwing and receiving some, the way great fights should be fought.

BOTH CORNERS DID A SPLENDID JOB!

It is also but fitting to recognize the impressive way Freddie Roach and Roger Mayweather handled their respective pugs. Freddie never failed to remind De La Hoya to throw his jab, while Roger kept on telling Floyd to continue fighting the way he did and just stick to the plan. The only difference was on how each fighter absorbed his corner’s instructions. Fatigue might have played a huge role, as Floyd, the leaps and bounds better-conditioned athlete, was able to execute them from start to finish unlike De La Hoya who faded in the later rounds.

DID BOXING DRAW MORE FANS?

Winning the fight might be one thing, but winning the fans is certainly something else. The Mayweather – De La Hoya fight card has broken box office records and could go down in history as the most anticipated boxing event of this era. After the massively hyped show, has Floyd Mayweather, Jr.’s victory won him more fans? On a larger scale, has that particular event injected new life and improved fan base to what many consider as a dying sport?

HAS FLOYD ANSWERED HIS CRITICS AS WELL?

With Mayweather’s win over De La Hoya, has the world’s top fighter, in one way or another, already answered his critics regarding his perceived deficiency in quality of his choice of opposition? Noting that the De La Hoya who fought Mayweather was considerably bigger and most probably better than Cotto, Hatton, or Margarito? Was Floyd right in saying that he has nothing left to prove in this sport of boxing? Make yourselves heard, boxing fans!

ONE SHOULD EXPECT OSCAR TO BEAT FLOYD!

02 May, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


IS PICKING OSCAR LIKE SAWING OFF A LIMB?

LAS Vegas, NV- Undefeated, and some would say ‘untested’, “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (37-0-0, 24 KOs) is in his absolute prime. He will trade mitts with the sports’ most identifiable figure in “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya (38-4-0, 30 KOs) Saturday at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Here are some of the reasons why I think “Golden Boy” is going to beat the “Pretty Boy” and might I add, somewhat convincingly, or not so convincingly in the year’s most anticipated boxing spectacle.

PRIMARY REASON: SIZE!

1992 Olympic gold medallist Oscar De La Hoya will be the biggest opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr. is going to face, thus far professionally. While Floyd has been campaigning most of his career around the 130 lb. super featherweight division, Oscar on the other hand has been fighting at least 17 pounds north since 1997, the same year the “Golden Boy” eked out a highly contested unanimous decision victory against another staunch advocate of the sweet science in Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker. Floyd’s power hasn’t also been as effective as it has usually been when he was still a 130-lber. In his first 27 bouts, all but 7 of them didn’t last the distance for a 74% knockout ratio. However, his last 10 outings, while moving up in weight, show that his knockout percentage considerably dropped to 40%. With his fragile hands and the reasons mentioned above, I don’t see Floyd knocking Oscar down, much less end the bout unless it is due to cuts.

DID I EVEN MENTION HEIGHT AND REACH?

You might find it amusing that I didn’t include De La Hoya’s advantages in height and reach to the “size” topic above. Well, I purposely categorized size as a power factor from which we can attribute one’s capacity to hurt the opposing party. I specifically reserved height and reach for topics about boxing, the science, not the sport. Floyd is listed at 5’8” with a 72-inch reach, while Oscar is considerably taller at 5’10 ½” inches with a reach of 73 inches. Why am I mentioning these stats?

“PRETTY BOY” CANNOT SCHOOL “GOLDEN BOY”!

If the stats mentioned above are accurate as listed, then Mayweather is at an obvious disadvantage. Try to check Floyd’s list of 37 previous opponents and see if you can find any of them who have both advantages in size and reach over him. If you are successful, then you can stop reading and I will certainly rest my case. If you can’t, then read on and know the facts.

IT’LL BE ALL ABOUT “EFFECTIVE REACH”

Let’s talk about “effective reach”. It’s not only the reach that determines how far a fist can travel. Effective reach is also directly proportional to height. Oscar now enjoys both these advantages and for the first time in his career, Floyd will try to dance with someone whom he has a considerable disadvantage in this department. That said, we most probably couldn’t expect Mayweather to employ the same boxing strategy as successfully as he did against his 37 other foes. He could not easily use his jab to land a punch on Oscar without the risk of being on the receiving end of a De La Hoya jab first. In his previous assignments, Floyd would usually only think of how to land the jab. This time around, he’ll have to first figure out how to avoid De La Hoya’s jab before he could land his own version of it.

LET’S NOT FORGET OSCAR CAN BOX SOME TOO!

The things I mentioned above won’t mean a thing had it not been Oscar De La Hoya we’re talking about here. Notice that I intentionally referred to Oscar as an Olympic gold medallist instead of using the six-division champ as an identifier. He definitely can box and if his Olympic success isn’t enough proof yet, then I don’t know what is. The “Golden Boy” has one of the best jabs in the business. He can utilize his effective reach advantage by constantly throwing jabs and occasionally unleashing his vaunted left hooks to keep Floyd at bay. Floyd is superb defensively, not to mention that he’s also an extremely patient boxer…but noting the fact that he will be in an unfamiliar territory, he could very well get frustrated and could opt out of his comfort zone and engage, which I think, would be a very big mistake!

THIS MAY BOIL DOWN TO A BATTLE OF WITS

Comparatively, Oscar has an advantage in size and experience based on the quality of his previous opposition. Floyd, on the other hand, has a clear upper hand in agility, which can be attributed to his relative youth. If there’s one thing that nobody in the boxing world would probably dare question, it should be the fact that both protagonists are exceptionally smart inside the squared circle. I could very well be wrong in my assessment and I may stand all alone with my analysis…but I can rest assured that this will, by no means, be an easy fight for either Oscar or Floyd. This clash shall be decided upon which fighter maximizes his advantages and best exploits his foe’s weaknesses.

IF FLOYD BEATS OSCAR…

Mayweather has been widely criticized for his choice of opponents in a span of approximately four and a half years. Possible encounters with Hatton, Cotto, and Margarito were shelved for undisclosed yet palpable reasons. But wait! Doesn’t this bout, in a way, restore some lost reputation? Don’t you think that De La Hoya is better than Hatton, Cotto or Margarito even at this point in time? It’s now time to speak your minds, boxing fans!


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THE WORLD AWAITS AS JUVENILE STORMS CROSS THE PACIFIC!

27 April, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


INTRIGUING MAIN EVENT DRAWS OPINIONS

Tagbilaran City, RP – As the world awaits the unprecedented match-up between two of the most decorated personalities of this pugilistic era, boxing pundits around the globe are also having a clash of opinions as to who will come out victorious in this mammoth encounter. Reigning and defending WBC light middleweight king Oscar De La Hoya (38-4-0, 30 KOs) will try to do what 37 other hopefuls weren’t able to achieve – put a dent on “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather’s (37-0-0, 24 KOs) immaculate record. If you are having the conviction that people’s thoughts aren’t equally divided on this particular scuffle, just wait ‘til the Vegas gambling lords release the odds for this fight. You might just be surprised!

OSCAR AND FLOYD ON OPPOSITE POLES

These protagonists share the distinction of being multi-division champions - Oscar, having conquered six different weight classes, while Floyd tries to make this one his fifth. Both of them also have Olympic experience with Oscar winning the coveted gold in 1992 and Floyd settling for the bronze four years later. However, these two warriors aren’t really recognized for these similarities, but rather on their utter differences in their personalities, fighting styles, and fan base. While Oscar has almost always made it a point to make his gloves do the talking, Floyd, on the other hand, just couldn’t shut his mouth up. Oscar loves to brawl, albeit he also has above average boxing skills, while Floyd is simply a boxing purist. “Golden Boy” has hardly ever been questioned for his choice of opponents throughout his career, but we certainly cannot say the same thing for “Pretty Boy”.

SO WHO WILL WIN?

My heart tells me it’s Oscar, but my mind tells me it’s Floyd. This has been the usual chestnut in boxing forums over the Internet. Some argue that Oscar’s advantage in size, reach, and punching power will make it difficult for Floyd to box the way he did in his previous assignments. As they say, Floyd could not possibly hurt Oscar. On the contrary, some others believe that Floyd’s overwhelming speed and ring savvy will compensate for his disadvantage in those departments. Oscar could not knockdown what he can’t hit. The arguments will go on and on and on… but only one thing will remain certain – the uncertainty of the outcome!

REASONS TO COME EARLY ON MAY 5

Hold your horses “Golden Boy” and “Pretty Boy” fans! Before Oscar showcases his vaunted left hook to the hilt to break through Floyd’s left shoulder defense and constant movement or before Floyd employs the sweet science on the relatively slower Oscar, you will be treated to two great appetizers! Don’t go just yet, read on. You might want to change your travel plans when you’re done reading.

“BOOM-BOOM” SEEKS LEGITIMACY!

As undefeated World Boxing Organization top super bantamweight contender Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista (22-0-0, 17 KOs) of the Philippines trades mitts with Argentinean Sergio Manuel “Rocky” Medina (28-0-0, 16 KOs), there will be one thing in the 20-yr-old Filipino’s mind – LEGITIMACY. Bautista, highly touted as one of boxing’s top prospects, even once referred to by Larry Merchant as “the next typhoon to blow the sea,” will get his hands full against Medina who also sports an immaculate record going into this fight. Someone’s O will definitely go on Cinco de Mayo!

WINNER CHALLENGES DE LEON!

Still, a handful of boxing buffs are not yet convinced with Boom-Boom’s panorama as a future world champion. Nevertheless, the majority, if not all, of these doubters will either confirm or change their minds depending on how Bautista performs against Medina in this WBO super bantamweight title eliminator. There’s certainly no better way to test the waters than fighting the best contender there is. That being said, spectators are in it for a slam-bang action between two undefeated pugilists who will vie for a chance to wrest the WBO super bantamweight diadem presently held by Daniel Ponce De Leon (31-1-0, 28 KOs) of Mexico.

“BAZOOKA” OUT TO SHOCK THE WORLD!

Undefeated teenage Filipino boxing sensation Alex John “Bazooka” Banal (12-0-1, 10 KOs) finally gets his chance to show the world the stuff he’s made of as he clashes with yet again another dangerous foe in 22-year-old Juan Alberto “The Monster” Rosas (25-2-0, 22 KOs) of Mexico also underneath the De La Hoya – Mayweather tussle. This will mark the first assignment abroad for the 18-year-old Banal who campaigns in the super flyweight division.

BETTER SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT

Much has been said of Banal. His ring exploits since turning pro have drawn huge comparisons with perhaps the world’s most exciting fighter Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Banal’s last five foes had a combined record of 62 wins with only 7 losses and a draw, spiced up by 42 KOs. All but one didn’t last the distance. Vis a vis, Pacquiao’s quality of opposition when he was his age pales in comparison to that of the “Bazooka”.

MATCHUP PROMISES A KNOCKOUT!

There’s no letup as soon as these two young protagonists touch gloves. Both are known to have the propensity to go for the kill instead of just leaving their respective fates in the hands of the judges. The dynamite fisted Mexican nicknamed as “The Monster” could very well pose a serious threat to Banal’s dream of making it big on the world stage. Rosas stopped his first 17 opponents in devastating fashion… and when I say ‘stopped’, I mean all of them did not beat the count of ten! It may also interest you to note that one of them was his compatriot and former WBC light flyweight titlist Omar Niño Romero (24-2-1, 10 KOs).

LIKENED TO TITO & PRETTY BOY?

Bautista and Banal are great prospects that possess outstanding skills way beyond their years. The former is very much likened to the great Felix “Tito” Trinidad, particularly in his style and stance. Banal, on the other hand, pretty much resembles Pretty Boy Floyd especially when he opts to box to size up his foe. Rey and AJ also pack wallops in both hands. These are some of the reasons why they have caught much of the attention and appreciation from the Golden Boy himself, who has brought them to Puerto Rico to train side by side with these young guns.

“BOOM-BOOM” & “BAZOOKA” TRAVERSE CONTRASTING ROUTES

Bautista and Banal may both come from ALA Boxing Stable; both being trained and managed by the same people, but the paths to boxing stardom given to them are certainly not the same. While many believe that “Boom-Boom” was a bit ‘pampered’ in terms of carefully choosing his previous foes, the younger “Bazooka” was immediately fed to the lions, figuratively speaking. Nevertheless, these contrasting routes that both fighters traverse have now led them to a common venue.

“ALA” KNOWS BEST!

Probably, Antonio Lopez Aldeguer (ALA) believes that each of them needed a different formula to lead them to where they are now, and to where they will be in the future, taking into consideration that they have different strengths, weaknesses, and personalities. So far, the method has been a success. They will yet again be tested next weekend as both of them continue their quest to become the next “Storm Across the Pacific”!

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DEFENDING MANNY PACQUIAO’S “VERY” UNPOPULAR MOVES

24 March, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


PACMAN TAKES A TERRIBLE BEATING!

Tagbilaran City, RP – Two-time world champion (three if you count his KO of Barrera) Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, arguably boxing’s hottest commodity, has been subjected to numerous denigrations as of late. These criticisms, sometimes reasonable, but at times utterly inapt, literally flood the message boards at the popular www.MannyPacquiao.ph, where a huge number of Pacquiao supporters and boxing buffs congregate. A vast majority (over 90 %) of Pacquiao’s fans are upset with the decisions he has made lately. Let’s take a closer look at the probable reasons for his choices, and hopefully provide a diverse perspective to fairly understand why he took such options.

WAS MANNY WISE OR JUST TOO NICE?

Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) was the popular choice of promoters among Pacquiao fans. Many were elated when news broke that Pacman had already inked a deal with the Oscar De La Hoya–owned outfit upon his arrival in Las Vegas for his bout to decide the trilogy with former rival Erik “El Terrible” Morales last year. People were salivating at the thought of Pacquiao finally getting megabuck rematches with Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez, not to mention a possible scuffle with undefeated WBO 130 lb king Joan Guzman. All three legendary ring combatants, as we all know, are under the umbrella of GBP. Pacquiao, for sure, also had these same thoughts, apart from the lucrative signing bonus, when he put his mark on the dotted lines.

FIRST OF A SERIES OF COSTLY ERRORS

Everything went fine, except for the fact that Pacquiao and GBP didn’t wait ‘til the trilogy with Morales was over and done with. It may be recalled that Top Rank boss Bob Arum argued along with the provision, which was stipulated in the contract forged for the Pacquiao-Morales bout, that the deal was of tortuous interference to his firm’s standing contract with Pacquiao. According to that provision, Pacquiao is prohibited from signing any future ring accords before the 3rd Morales fight takes place, thus, putting the Filipino firebomb liable for breach of contract.

TOP RANK RIGHT CHOICE FOR PACMAN?

This, among other things, probably was the primary reason why Pacquiao jumped off the GBP bus and rejoined the Top Rank train. Bob Arum, a lawyer with decades of experience in the boxing business, seemingly has the edge over his relatively neophyte rival when it comes to legal matters such as this one involving Pacquiao. The numerous clouts that he has developed and built over the years are more than enough reason for the Filipino pug to have second thoughts about not honoring that particular provision of the treaty. Factor in the $1 million signing bonus (twice as much what GBP had to offer) plus the assurance that Top Rank will take care of all the legal and monetary responsibilities in case GBP wins the case they’ll file in court, in my mind (and I may stand alone on this one) Pacquiao basically had no other logical choice but to put his fate and his future in Arum’s influential hands.

CAN PAC STILL FIGHT MAB, JMM OR GUZMAN?

By opting to junk GBP, does it necessarily mean that Pacquiao can kiss blockbuster encounters with Barrera, Marquez, and Guzman goodbye? Maybe, but nothing is set in stone. Regardless of the fact that there’s bad blood between these two feuding promotional companies Top Rank and Golden Boy, one cannot fully digress that this is “just” business. As long as the fans continue to crave these matches, the forecast revenue would certainly be too much and too hard for both parties to ignore.

WHAT ABOUT PURSE BIDS FOR SUPER CLASHES?

If things get out of control, with Arum and De La Hoya still not coming to terms, WBC president Jose Sulaiman can put matters in his own hands. Pacquiao earned the mandatory challenger status to Barrera’s erstwhile super featherweight belt, now held by Marquez, with his demolition of Morales in a title eliminator. If the WBC still installs Pacquiao as the mandatory challenger, Sulaiman can call for a purse bid. This, however, would be disadvantageous to Pacquiao money-wise because Marquez, being the champion, will have the lion’s share of the pie.

POLITICAL PLAN DIVIDES PACFANS!

As Pedro Fernandez, the undisputed king of the airwaves, earlier reported, a majority of Pacquiao’s fans (again 90+ %) decry his political plans. If his previous blunders were somewhat conceivable to many, this one in particular doesn’t go unnoticed. Pacquiao got booed, called names, and lambasted by his very own fans a fortnight ago before going to train in Los Angeles. .

WHY…OH, WHY?

Allow me now to dissect what’s probably going through Pacquiao’s mind. First, we have to provide a little background about the Philippines’ current political situation, specifically in Manny’s home district where he’s running for a congressional seat. The incumbent representative is a rich, well educated, and capable young lady named Darlene Custodio. Why is Pacquiao trying to unseat her? Is it due to being power drunk, as Pedro stated earlier, or does he really think he can help? Read on.

SCHOOL SMART VERSUS STREET SMART!

Darlene comes from a brood of politicians. She wasn’t born, raised, and educated in South Cotabato. She is a two-term congresswoman who doesn’t live in the district where she was elected, and I surmise doesn’t really represent the sentiments of the people who voted for her. Her educational background isn’t that impressive either. Albeit I mentioned earlier that she was well educated, that was in direct comparison to Pacquiao, who recently just passed the high school equivalency exam. In principle, she’s just an average college graduate, even though she has a master’s degree in cooking.

EL PRESIDENTE WANTS DARLENE OUT!

Notwithstanding all these things I’ve mentioned, Darlene is also with the opposition, which makes Manny the flag-bearer of the administration ticket. Provinces, districts, and cities whose elected officials are with the opposition rarely get the fiscal support and the nod for proposed projects from the national government. Pacquiao probably thinks that if he’s the one in congress instead of Darlene, his beloved district will get a considerable chunk of the pork barrel for its development.

PACMAN SLATED TO BE A PUPPET CONGRESSMAN?

But how does he go about making laws? This is where Franklin Gacal, Pacquiao’s legal adviser, comes into the picture. Gacal, a relative (uncle?) of Pacquiao’s wife Jinky, will perhaps perform the job on Pacquiao’s behalf.

NOW YOU BE THE JUDGE!

Let me go on record that I personally detest Pacquiao’s political plans. As a boxing fan, I certainly would love to watch more of his exciting exploits inside the squared circle. However, it is neither in Pacquiao’s adoring fans’ hands nor in those who choose to downplay his motives to decide, but in the voting hands of his districtmates, who shall determine what the future holds for boxing’s most exciting fighter! Vote wisely!

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PEÑALOSA VERSUS DE LEON MIGHT END UP AS THE FIGHT OF THE NIGHT…

13 March, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


IF PEÑALOSA BEATS THE ODDS!

Tagbilaran City, RP – Reigning WBO and IBO 122-lb king Daniel Ponce De Leon (30-1-0, 28 KOs) defends his two belts against former World 115-lb champion Gerry Peñalosa (51-5-2, 34 KOs) this weekend at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. This bout takes place before fellow Mexican legends Juan Manuel Marquez (46-3-1, 35 KOs) and WBC super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera (63-4-0, 42 KOs) grace the same squared circle for their own titular showdown. The protagonists in the main event are both known for their counter-punching styles, although Barrera used to be an all-out brawler early in his career and Marquez also having exciting matches in his resume. Still, it is very likely that both fighters will engage in a not-so-fan-friendly tactical strategy of waiting, which leads me to think that the supporting bout just might steal the limelight from these future Hall-of-Fame fighters. That is, IF the much smaller Peñalosa beats the seemingly insurmountable disadvantage in size and age… and it is, as they say, a very big IF!

CLASSIC BRAWLER VS BOXER BOUT!

Styles make fights, but overwhelming size advantage can also compensate for the deficiency in skill. Gerry, a master boxer and veteran of 58 bouts, hands down, is the more skillful and more experienced fighter going into this bout. Nonetheless, Daniel Ponce as well enjoys great size advantage, not to mention the noteworthy knockout ratio and the exuberance of youth on his side, with almost 10-year age disparity over his foe. All these being said, there’s definitely an element of surprise and uncertainty, which corresponds to excitement. There are only two questions left to answer come fight night. Will Peñalosa’s amazing boxing skills and ring savvy be enough to effectively fend off De Leon’s onslaught? Or will De Leon just run him over, proving once again that youth and size really do matter?

GERRY COULD LEARN FROM DURAN

Roberto Duran, arguably the greatest lightweight of all time, could serve as an inspiration to the huge underdog Gerry Peñalosa. The man who possessed the “Hands of Stone” was in that similar or worse situation when he fought Davey Moore in 1983 and Iran Barkley six years later for the WBA light middleweight and WBC middleweight titles, respectively. As we all know, Duran amazingly pulled it off and the rest was history.

“BOOM-BOOM” BATTLES “ROCKY”!

Wait, I am not talking about Mancini and Marciano! This is about two promising young prospects Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista (22-0-0, 17 KOs) of the Philippines and Argentinian Sergio Manuel “Rocky” Medina (28-0-0, 16 KOs) who are both sporting unblemished records. The 20-year-old Bautista and 25-year-old Medina are going to slug it out in twelve rounds of fierce action for the right to challenge the winner of the Peñalosa-De Leon scuffle this weekend. Peñalosa has however earlier announced that if he’s lucky to wrest the WBO diadem from De Leon, he will vacate the belt and campaign four pounds south, where he’s most comfortable fighting in. This WBO title eliminator serves as one of the chief supporting bouts of the highly anticipated Oscar De La Hoya versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. face-off on the 5th of May.

“BAZOOKA” INVADES AMERICA!

Fresh from his sensational dismantling of power-punching Thai Komrit Lukkuongmuekol (15-3-0, 11 KOs), undefeated 18-year-old super flyweight phenom Alex John “Bazooka” Banal (12-0-1, 10 KOs) makes his much-awaited US debut against a still-to-be-determined opponent also underneath the De La Hoya – Mayweather showdown. Banal’s last five foes were foreigners with a combined record of 62 wins (43 KOs), 7 losses, and a draw, two of them with unblemished records prior to their respective encounters with him. He will join ALA stablemate Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista to train in Puerto Rico alongside Oscar De La Hoya under the watchful eyes of celebrated Wild Card trainer Freddie Roach.

FILIPINO JOURNEYMAN KO’S PEDEN!

Twenty-seven-year-old Filipino lightweight Ranee Ganoy (22-10-2, 19 KOs) scored an emphatic 8th round KO victory over Australian bomber Robbie Peden (25-4-0, 14 KOs) to capture the vacant IBF Pan Pacific lightweight title at the latter’s home turf in Brisbane, Australia last March 9, 2007. Peden, the same guy who went the distance in a losing effort to Marco Antonio Barrera in September of 2005 and lost to Juan Manuel Marquez via 10th round TKO in March of 2002, also went down in the 7th round, but was saved by the bell. Ganoy pressed the attack in the ensuing round, sending Peden down and out for the count. It was by far the biggest break of Ganoy’s career, as he stretches his winning streak to five, all of them not lasting the distance. He has only lost once since February of 2005, with all eight of his victories during that period by knockout.

THE “FILIPINO CONNECTION” NOTES ON MONTIEL VS GORRES “MOMENT OF TRUTH” PRESS CONFERENCE

23 February, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


“MOMENT OF TRUTH” TOPS SCHEDULE

Cebu, RP – It is rare that the Philippines plays host to the biggest fight on the weekend schedule, but this country of 7,000 islands is ready to show that there is more to Filipino boxing than the great many Pacquiao. On Saturday night here fistic sages take center stage at the Cebu City Sports Complex, as an expected crowd of about 20,000 boxing-crazed fans brace themselves for the “Moment of Truth” this Saturday night, the opposing protagonists who are going to strut their stuff in this mammoth fight card, held their final press conference at the plush Waterfront Hotel in Cebu, yesterday.

MONTIEL TO STOP GORRES IN ONE, MAYBE TWO?

In a Press Conference held last Sunday soon after his arrival, World Boxing Organization (WBO) super flyweight champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel (32-2-1, 24 KOs) of Mexico vowed to stop his # 1 challenger Z “The Dream” Gorres (24-1-1, 14 KOs) of the Philippines in the very first round. Montiel, however, said yesterday that he miscalculated and that he will knock Gorres out in the second round.

THE WBO 115 LB CHAMP SPEAKS!

The tough-as-nails pint-sized power-punching Montiel spoke through a translator during the Press Conference. “We thought we were gonna’ come into a hostile environment, but we were wrong. Filipinos are very friendly and hospitable and I am happy to be here. I would like to tell you that what I’ve seen of Z Gorres is that I think that he’s a good fighter and now he is the # 1 contender. I have no doubt that he could be champion of the world. But I hope it would be on another occasion, I think, with all due respect. Just like Manny Pacquiao, Filipinos are really tough fighters and great champions. Important thing I would like to clarify about talks on whether I wanted to come or not, but here, I’m going to clear things up, we would always be willing (to fight), even if we had to fight on the moon,” a very relaxed champ spoke to the delight of those attending the event. “There was a misunderstanding. There was gonna be a date, but they changed it many times. But I was always in the gym always training and keeping myself in superb condition and I’m gonna do my best.”

GORRES IS AN EXTREMELY CONFIDENT LAD

Z Gorres, a very slick and ring-savvy boxer, also had his time to speak. “This is going to be a great fight because I’m sure of myself. I am well prepared and I’m 100% mentally and physically fit for this fight. I will do whatever it takes to win this bout for my country and I will do my best for this fight. I feel strong. I prepared a lot for this fight.” When asked about what would be his greatest advantage over Montiel in this encounter he said, “Home court. The fans serve as my inspiration and their cheers would be a big motivation for me going into this fight.” Edito “ALA” Villamor, Gorres’ long-time trainer and protégé of famed Wild Card trainer Freddie Roach, said that he was surprised about Z’s uncharacteristically high confidence level. When he said surprised, he meant it in a positive way and that he’s very glad that his student for over nine years, who’s usually demure and collected, has finally come of age.

BOOM-BOOM ET AL READY FOR ACTION

Dynamite-fisted 20-year-old boxing phenom Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista (21-0-0, 16 KOs) said in an exclusive interview that he’s aching to display his skills and power once again. He will face a late replacement, but a well-conditioned (meaning he’s getting drubbed0 foe in Marino “Zaino” Gonzales (29-8-0, 15 KOs) of Mexico. They will vie for a number of WBO regional belts. Other fighters who will see action in the fight card include Jimrex “The Executioner” Jaca (27-3-1, 12 KOs), who will go up against Simson Butar-Butar of Indonesia, AJ “Bazooka” Banal (11-0-1, 9 KOs), who will try to keep his unbeaten slate against a very tough Thai in Komrit Evereadygym (15-2-0, 11 KOs), and Bert “Batman” Batawang (41-12-3, 34 KOs) who goes up against knockout artist Shopyan Effendi (16-2-0, 15 KOs) of Indonesia.

GBP EXEC BRINGS WORLD CUP TO PHILIPPINES!

SGG Sports Promotions head honcho Sammy Gello-ani said that Golden Boy Promotions representative Eric Gomez, who was also present during the press conference, already brought with them the World Cup trophy, which according to him is worth half a million bucks. Gello-ani described it as solid 18-karat gold studded with 15,000 diamonds and other precious gems. Gomez later on revealed that it will be contested between Philippines and Mexico later this year in a proposed fight card that will be dubbed as “Boxing World Cup” if plans don’t miscarry.

PRIMARY PROTAGONISTS MAKE WEIGHT!

Montiel seemed to have problems making the super flyweight limit, as he tried at least five times before finally making it at 115 lbs at yesterday’s official weigh-in at the Rajah Park Hotel. Gorres, on the other hand, easily made weight also at 115 lbs. Rey Bautista came in at exactly 122 lbs, while his opponent Marino Gonzales of Mexico weighed half-a-pound lighter at 121 ½ lbs. Jimrex Jaca and Simson Butar-Butar both came in at exactly 130 lbs.

“THE DREAM” REMAINS JUST THAT, A DREAM!

26 February, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


SPLIT DECISION WIN FOR MONTIEL!

Cebu, RP - It was a night of frustrations, especially for Z “The Dream” Gorres (26-2-1, 14 KOs) of the Philippines who failed in his first attempt to snatch a world championship belt. It was a controversial split decision loss to the tough-as-nails Mexican WBO super flyweight champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel (33-2-1, 24 KOs) last night inside the jam-packed Cebu City Sports Complex. Raul Caiz and Chuck Giampa scored the bout for Montiel with 115-111 and 114-112, respectively, while Denny Nelson saw it 115-111 for the flashy Gorres. Referee Samuel Viruet deducted a total of two crucial points from Gorres for clinching, one in the momentum-changing tenth round and the other one in the last round.

BOUT COULD HAVE BEEN A DRAW!

The Filipino southpaw showed Montiel a neat boxing clinic for the majority of the fight. On my scorecard, Gorres clearly won seven out of the twelve contested rounds, six of them in the first nine. There were no knockdowns throughout the fight. Thus, with the two-point deduction, a draw was the best thing that should have been awarded to the champion. Rounds 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 11 showcased Gorres’ impeccable ring generalship and outstanding boxing skills as he bombarded the defending champion with speed-blinding punches and excellent footwork. He dazzled and caught Montiel off-guard and off-balance. Montiel grew frustrated as the fight went on, with Z sliding and slipping through his punches with sound elusive skills, literally millimeters away from getting hit. Gorres, on the other hand, was piling up points with his crisp jabs and 1-2 punch combinations that he made look so easy.

THE PUNCH THAT SAVED MONTIEL’S DAY

The tenth round proved to be the pivotal part of this encounter. It started with both pugs trading blows, as Gorres decided to slug it out after dominating Montiel with his second-to-none boxing skills in the previous cantos. This utter show of overconfidence on the side of the challenger proved to be too costly, when Montiel finally caught him with a solid right straight that flushed through Gorres’ lower right cheek and penetrated to his chest. Gorres was rubbery legged and was about to take a dive, but he struggled to stay on his feet and clinched the champion. Montiel tried to finish his opponent off, but he was unable to do so as Gorres continued to clinch, prompting the referee to deduct Gorres a point for the repeated clinches. Gorres courageously fought back, out-punching and out-boxing Montiel in the dying seconds of that momentum-shifting round!

GORRES BACK TO LIFE IN THE 11TH!

With the hometown crowd chanting “GORRES”, adrenaline rushed through the Filipino’s veins as he connected with clear and solid punches that caused a huge swelling on the Mexican’s left eye. Z kept his opponent at bay with those stinging jabs and dancing away from the stalking Montiel who was very determined to land another haymaker to save him this bout. He and his corner apparently thought, as I did as well, that they were behind on points.

THE CONTROVERSIAL CALL BY THE REF!

The 12th and deciding round has controversy written all over it. Viruet again deducted a point from Gorres, but this time, without the customary warning, drawing howls of protest from the pro-Gorres crowd. The 30,000 fight fans inside the grand stand were stunned when it was announced as a split decision victory for the defending champion. Boxing pundits and fans alike believed that the deductions won it for Montiel. “Montiel did not win the fight. The referee did it for him,” said ALA Boxing Stable top honcho Antonio Lopez Aldeguer, who was evidently disgruntled.

MONTIEL USED BRILLIANT STRATEGY!

Frustrations mounting and finding no answer to the boxing savvy of his challenger in the first nine rounds, Montiel did something that typified one of the Filipinos’ primary livelihoods, “fishing”… a strategy that requires a bait to lure the fish. Only that he made himself the bait and that Gorres was the fish he wanted to prey on all night long. Starting in the 9th, Montiel began to lower his guard, enticing Z to come in and slug it out. It was a luxury (or a risk) he had to take, noting probably that he was able to take Gorres’ punches. It was however in the succeeding round when Gorres took the bite and fell into the trap of slugging it out with a known slugger. In the 10th round a single punch took much of the juice, figuratively speaking, from Gorres that should have been used in the championship rounds.

“BOOM-BOOM” NOT ENOUGH FOR CROWD

Ironic as it may seem, the main event (Gorres-Montiel) was conducted before what I think should have been a supporting bout. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a little consolation for the fight fans who were obviously disappointed with Z’s controversial loss earlier. Rey “Boom-Boom” Bautista (22-0-0, 17 KOs) kept his unbeaten slate by punishing Marino “Zaino” Gonzales (29-9-0, 15 KOs) with body blows en route to a 3rd round KO victory for the 20-year-old phenom. He is now scheduled to face fellow undefeated Sergio Manuel Medina (28-0-0, 16 KOs) of Argentina underneath the blockbuster De La Hoya vs Mayweather showdown in May!

COMPLETE UNDERCARD RESULTS

Jimrex Jaca 7th round KO Simson Butar-Butar; AJ “Bazooka” BanalKO 1 Komrit Lukkuongmuekol; Bert “Batman” Batawang KO 4 Sofyan Efendi; Milan “Piston Punch” Melindo TD 6 Alex Aroy; Joseph Omanz UD 4 Markyll Taroja; Weng Haya UD 4 Romnick Rapista; and the late great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde’s grandson Bai Elorde won via unanimous decision against Joseph Mateo in both fighters’ professional debut.

"MOMENT OF TRUTH" FOR MONTIEL (MEXICO) V. GORRES (PHILIPPINES)

14 February, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


A TRUE BATTLE OF "LITTLE GIANTS"

Tagbilaran City, RP-Cebu, considered as the Philippines' Queen City of the South, holds its first world championship extravaganza, as Filipino ring tactician Z "The Dream" Gorres (24-1-1, 14 KOs) tries to wrest the World Boxing Organization (WBO) super flyweight (115 lbs.) belt from hard-hitting Mexican Fernando "Cochulito" Montiel (32-2-1, 24 KOs). This mammoth fight card, dubbed as "Moment of Truth" goes down February 24 (Philippine time) at the Cebu City Sports Complex, an event presented by SGG Sports Promotions.

CRITICAL BOUT FOR FIGHTERS & COUNTRIES

Gorres, coming off ten consecutive victories spiked by four knockouts, hopes to annex Montiel's WBO championship belt in only his first try. He earned the right to face Montiel in view of his number one contender status, which he has successfully maintained by winning all four of his bouts last year. On the other hand, Montiel will try to redeem himself from a split decision loss to compatriot Jhonny Gonzales (33-5-0, 28 KOs) in a failed attempt to capture the latter's WBO bantamweight (118) diadem in May of last year.

WHO IS THE BETTER FIGHTER?

On paper, it's definitely Montiel! The Mexican's very impressive resume should easily lead one to lean slightly (or considerably) towards a Montiel victory, especially if he has not seen Gorres fight. Many boxing pundits, however, think otherwise, as Gorres' record doesn’t really speak much of this little guy’s tremendous talent and boxing skills. Gary Gittelsohn, Montiel's lawyer and manager, considers Gorres as an excellent fighter who's always well conditioned and presents difficulties principally because of his awkward southpaw style. Factor in the fact that Montiel has only fought once last year (which he lost), in strong contrast to Gorres' four wins in as many encounters, not to mention the large partisan crowd who will be rooting for their hometown hero, this boxing showdown is definitely resplendent with unpredictability and excitement! This encounter, deemed as a battle of wits between two stern advocates of the sweet science, serves as the chief supporting bout of a slam-bang boxing card top billed by fellow ALA stable member Rey "Boom-Boom" Bautista.

"BOOM-BOOM" BATTLES COLOMBIAN IN MAIN!

Meanwhile, the highly touted Bautista (21-0-0, 16 KOs) ups his level of competition by facing lanky Colombian Feider Viloria (19-1-1, 13 KOs) for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental super bantamweight title in the main event. Roberto Duran Jr., son of the man who owns the “Hands of Stone” and regarded as one of the greatest lightweights of all-time, will be in the corner of Viloria. This is a must-win assignment for the 20-year old Bautista. Golden Boy Promotions has promised him a date with 24-year old Sergio Manuel Medina (28-0-0, 16 KOs) of Argentina in a WBO super bantamweight (122 lbs.) eliminator underneath the blockbuster Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather showdown this May.

UNDERCARD BOUTS LOOK LIKE KNOCKOUTS!

Jimrex Jaca (27-3-1, 12 KOs), coming off a courageous performance in a losing effort against Juan Manuel Marquez (45-3-1, 35 KOs) last November, goes up against Simson Butar Butar (15-5-1, 11 KOs) of Indonesia for the latter’s WBO regional title. Two of the Philippines' unbeaten prospects Alex John "Bazooka" Banal (11-0-1, 9 KOs) and Milan "Milenyo" Milendo (9-0-0, 2 KOs) take on separate foes to preserve their immaculate records. Eighteen-year-old Banal, after a very busy 2006 racking up eight victories, all but one not lasting the distance, and whose last four opponents have a combined record of 47 wins 5 losses and 1 draw with 31 stoppages, once again faces another tough challenge in Komrit Lukkuongmuekol (15-2-0, 11 KOs) of Thailand.

"BATMAN" HAS FISTIC HOMICIDE ON MIND

Dynamite-fisted Bert Batawang (40-12-3, 33 KOs), considered by some as the world's hardest-punching junior flyweight (108), takes on Indonesian jaw-cracker Sofyan Efendi (16-2-1, 15 KOs) in an eight-round brawl. This is a bout that Batawang cannot afford to lose as he's already scheduled to take on WBO junior fly boss Hugo Cazares (24-3-1, 18 KOs) of Mexico later this year. "If he is the only man who stands in between me and the WBO opportunity, then he is a dead man walking," vowed the usually ascetic Batawang.

PEÑALOSA ACCEPTS DE LEON’S CHALLENGE!

30 January, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


BATTLE OF THE “AGES”!

Tagbilaran City, RP – Former world super flyweight champion Gerry Peñalosa (51-5-2, 34 KOs) of the Philippines, who turns 35 in august of this year, has accepted the offer to challenge the reigning and defending 26-year-old WBO super bantamweight champ Daniel Ponce De Leon (30-1-0, 28 KOs) of Mexico.

EXPERTS SAY THIS IS “DUMB” FOR GERRY

After watching Jorge Arce have an unfair size advantage over Jorge Ler on Saturday night, this discrepancy might pale when comparing Penalos and De Leon. If it happens, it would be youth versus experience in what many boxing pundits consider as a major mismatch both in terms of size and strength in favor of the hard-hitting De Leon.It would be youth versus experience in what many boxing pundits consider as a major mismatch both in terms of size and strength in favor of the hard-hitting De Leon. Peñalosa is however fearless and confident that his vast counterpunching and slick approach is going to beat De Leon’s unorthodox style. This tussle is going to be the chief supporting bout of the Marco Antonio Barrera - Juan Manuel Marquez showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 17th.

DE LEON IS TAILOR-MADE FOR PEÑALOSA

Styles make fights. This old cliché, apart maybe from his advancing age, seems to be the driving force that compelled Peñalosa to take this bout in spite of the salient odds that are against him. It may be noted that the Pinoy pug’s four losses were against “runners”, twice against Korean In Joo Choo (18-2-0, 7 KOs) who then sported an unblemished slate before bowing down to the other Peñalosa tormentor Japan-based World super flyweight champion Masamori Tokuyama of Korea (32-3-1, 8 KOs) who also battled it out twice with the Filipino, all in controversial fashions. Peñalosa expressed optimism that his style is going to beat De Leon’s style, although the latter is considerably bigger and stronger. He also said that he is not worried about the huge size disparity because he has sparred much bigger guys in the gym.

KING PENALOSA HASN’T BEEN STOPPED!

The fact that Penalosa hasn’t been stopped in all his fifty-eight career bouts should serve as a major motivation for the Mexican knockout artist going into this encounter. Penalosa may be relatively small, but he’s definitely one tough customer inside the squared circle. It certainly shouldn’t be a walk in the park for De Leon.

BECAUSE FREDDIE ROACH SAYS SO!

Peñalosa, after learning about Golden Boy Promotions’ offer, sought the opinion of his former managers Rudy Salud and Antonio Aldeguer regarding this issue. They both advised him not to take this fight because Ponce is too big. Gerry expressed his admiration for their honesty and genuine concern for him, but would respectfully go against their will by taking this gamble instead because he is not getting any younger. Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach of Wild Card gym, who now acts as both manager and trainer of Peñalosa, on the other hand, is convinced that his ward will beat de Leon.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN JHONNY!

The Filipino ring tactician was supposed to slug it out with another young Mexican champ in WBO bantamweight Jhonny Gonzales (33-5-0, 28 KOs) in what could have been a blockbuster fight card in the Philippines featuring tough Filipino pugs against Mexican WBO champions. The opposing camps were however unable to strike a deal because Gonzales’ camp was unwilling to fly over to the Philippines and defend his diadem against Peñalosa for fear of a hometown decision. This fight could still materialize in the future since Peñalosa said that if he hopefully goes on to win the 122-lb title, he will still move down to bantamweight where he is most comfortable fighting.

PINOY PUGS CONTINUE TO SIZZLE AS GORRES-MONTIEL SHOWDOWN DRAWS NEAR

26 January, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


“BAZOOKA” TOO MUCH FOR JANDAENG!

Tagbilaran City, RP – Teenage boxing sensation Alex John “Bazooka” Banal (11-0-1, 9 KOs) once again clobbered yet another highly-touted foreign foe with an emphatic 9th round technical knockout victory over Terdkiat Jandaeng of Thailand last Saturday night here. Inside the jam-packed Mandaue City Sports Complex, Banal’s fearless, unyielding aggression proved too much for Jandaeng, as the unbeaten Filipino boxer-puncher bombarded the iron-chinned Thai with a barrage of unanswered blows to the head and body. This prompted referee Tony Pesons to stop the fight two minutes and fifty-eight seconds into the ninth of the scheduled ten-round contest.

MELINDO IMPROVES UNBLEMISHED SLATE

The blockbuster local boxing showdown dubbed as “Stars of the Future” also featured Milan “Milenyo” Milendo (9-0-0, 2 KOs) in the main supporting bout. Melindo, whose monicker is based on the catastrophic typhoon that hit the Philippines last year, utilized his vast boxing artillery to outpunch and outscore the very tough Fabio Marfa en route to a unanimous decision victory with scores of 100-90, 96-94, and 97-93 in ten eventful rounds. Milan’s stinging jab that virtually emulated a piston in terms of frequency and speed, coupled with his vaunted left hook and uppercuts, befuddled Marfa all night long as he absorbed another loss in his forty-one professional fights.

ROACH TO TRAIN AJ AT WILD CARD!

Banal, finally becoming eligible to strut his stuff in the United States when he turned eighteen last December 28, hopes to join his fellow ALA Boys Rey “Boom-boom” Bautista (21-0-0, 16 KOs) and Z “The Dream” Gorres (26-1-1, 14 KOs) at Wild Card gym in Los Angeles, California to train under the prying eyes of Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s celebrated trainer Freddie Roach. This is in preparation for his WBO Asia Pacific Youth super flyweight championship bout against a still-to-be-determined opponent on February 24, underneath the Gorres – Montiel WBO titular showdown in Cebu City. ALA Boxing Stable’s chief trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor, who now accompanies and facilitates the training of Bautista and Gorres at Wild Card gym, is proud of what his prized students (Banal and Melindo) have achieved even in his absence.

WBO OFFICIALS FOR GORRES-MONTIEL NAMED

Barely a month to go before the highly-anticipated super flyweight showdown between Z “The Dream” Gorres of the Philippines and Mexico’s reigning and defending WBO champion Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel (32-2-1, 24 KOs), the World Boxing Organization has finally announced the appointment of the official referee and the three judges, as disclosed by topnotch boxing promoter Sammy Gello-ani of SGG Promotions, referring to an official communication from WBO President Francisco Valcarcel. It may be remembered that Gello-ani’s SGG Promotions won the purse bidding for the Gorres-Montiel mandatory bout held last November 27, 2006 at the WBO Headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico, besting Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions, thereby earning the promotional right to stage the event. Samuel Viruet of Mahopac, New York, more than 21 years as a referee and has officiated championship bouts that separately featured Naseem Hamed, Marco Antonio Barrera, Joan Guzman, serves as the third man in the ring. The judges will be Raul Caiz of Los Angeles, California, Chuck Giampa of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Denny Nelson of St. Paul, Minnesota.

OTHER PINOY PUGS MAKING WAVES!

A night after the “Stars of the Future” boxing card, SGG Promotion’s Bert Batawang (40-12-3, 33 KOs) used his dreaded right uppercut on Pingping Tepura’s jaw to score his 2nd consecutive 1st round KO victory, thereby keeping his hopes alive for a possible crack at Hugo Cazares’ WBO light flyweight diadem. In a separate boxing card held in Cotabato, a province located in the southernmost part of the Philippines, twenty-one-year-old bantamweight prospect Jundy “Pretty Boy” Maraon (9-0-1, 7 KOs) hardly broke any sweat in disposing off Saensak Singmanasak of Thailand for a knockout victory also in the very first round.

PINOY WBO REGIONAL CHAMPS

Two days before changing the annual calendar (December 30), twenty-four-year-old boxing phenoms Draian Francisco (10-0-0, 7 KOs) and Rexon Flores (17-3-4, 9 KOs) captured the WBO Asia Pacific flyweight and WBO Inter-Continental light flyweight titles, respectively against separate Thai foes. Francisco stopped erstwhile-unbeaten Pichitchok Singmanassak (9-1-0, 4 KOs), as referee Bruce McTavish halted the fight one minute and three seconds into the 7th round, while Flores eked out a unanimous decision victory over Wisan Sor Suchanya (8-3-1, 2 KOs) with identical scores of 118-109 on all of the judges’ scorecards.

AMONSOT AND MELLIGUEN TRY TO FOLLOW SUIT!

According to Philboxing.com’s Salven L. Lagumbay, arguably the Philippines’ most prolific boxing writer, former WBO Asia Pacific super featherweight champion Czar Amonsot (17-2-1, 10 KOs) and current professionally undefeated two-time South-East Asian games silver medallist Mark Jason Melliguen (6-0-0, 5 KOs) will get a crack at the WBO Asia Pacific titles against separate Korean foes in the lightweight and junior welterweight divisions, respectively on February 9 in Seoul, South Korea.

PACQUIAO TAKES ON IN JIN CHI NEXT!

12 January, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos


PACMAN GOING BACK TO 126 LBS.?

Tagbilaran City, RP–The last thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (43-3-2, 34 KOs) is a “questionable” choice of opponents. This fire-breathing Filipino boxing icon, throughout his very explosive career both inside and outside the ring, has never been subjected to vilification with regard to these issues. However, it seems that there’s always a first time, after all. Recently, Bob Arum of Top Rank proclaimed that he has already lined up a list of Pacquiao’s next likely opponents, probably in Macao. None of whom, however, except maybe for WBC #2 Humberto “La Zorrita” Soto (40-5-2, 24 KOs) of Mexico, WBC featherweight champ In Jin Chi (31-3-1, 18 KOs) of Korea and IBF titlist Malcolm Klassen (19-3-2, 10 KOs) of South Africa, ring a bell.

IN JIN CHI SET FOR PACQUIAO IN MACAU!

It is an all-Asian brawl! In Jin Chi, the reigning WBC featherweight (126 lbs.) king who gave the then undefeated Erik “El Terrible” Morales all that he could handle although in a losing effort, wins the Pacquiao lottery. Chi is a very tough and rugged pugilist who boasts a reputation of not having tasted the canvass in his entire professional boxing career and should therefore be a great motivation for the Pinoy pug to do another first, just like what he did to Morales. One question remains unanswered, though… will Pacquaio move down to 126 lbs. and try to take Chi’s WBC diadem. This would setup the possibility of becoming a three-time world champion before moving four pounds up and go for his fourth world title in as much weight classes. Let’s wait and see.

PACLANDERS NOT HAPPY WITH PAC & BOB!

In a recent survey conducted at Pacland, a boxing website dedicated to Manny Pacquiao and other Pinoy pugs, a little over 51% of almost nine thousand respondents as of this writing voted that they were not pleased with Pacquiao’s decision to declare Top Rank his promoter. Only 33% agreed with Manny’s pronouncement, while 15% of the total respondents said they don’t care. A previous survey inveterately suggested WBC super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera (63-4-0, 42 KOs), coincidentally and unfortunately promoted by Top Rank archrival Golden Boy Promotions, as the most wanted opponent for Pacquiao. WBO counterpart Joan Guzman (27-0-0, 17 KOs) and Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez (46-3-1, 35 KOs), are promoted by Golden Boy as well, these were among the Pacland’s most desired choices when it comes to future foes.

ARUM-OSCAR WAR STALLS PRESENT/FUTURE

Both Top Rank Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions have decided to settle the score in the courts and are both confident that they’ll win the Manny Pacquiao sweepstakes. Neither one is amenable to a settlement, thus a long legal battle awaits these parties. Pacquiao is caught in the middle of this conflict, which could cost him blockbuster and multimillion-dollar bouts with Barrera, Guzman, and Marquez.

THE CHOICE THAT “PACMAN” TOOK!

Prior to issuing his pronouncement, Manny would have asked his "preferred" promoter to buy out the contract he signed with the other promoter and make it as an addendum to their initially forged deal to get out of this mess he got himself into... that way, he can focus his attention on his next possible opponent and not worry about anything else. Correspondingly, I believe Top Rank, with solid backing by Las Vegas business mogul Steve Wynn, can put big money in Manny’s pockets for fighting the leser guys.

ARUM TO PAY FEES! WHAT ABOUT DAMAGES?

Top Rank boss Bob Arum, a lawyer himself, had earlier offered Pacquiao an added clause in the contract assuring him that they will take care of all the legal and monetary responsibilities in case Golden Boy wins the case they filed in court. Golden Boy Promotions, however, could not provide the same guarantee. This issue about legal security might well be the reason why Pacquiao opted to pronounce Arum as his preferred promoter.

BEST TO HAVE BEEN A FREE AGENT!

TRingtalk.com resident columnist Jason Aniel shares the same opinion as I that it would have been best for Pacquiao had he been a free agent. At this point in his career, he is already considered as a major draw. Promotional companies like the feuding Top Rank and Golden Boy would certainly make it a point to promote his fights, as they have manifested recently. Not being hooked up with any of these companies would have definitely minimized if not totally eliminated the matchmaking concerns with fighters under either one of these promotional umbrellas.

PAC MUST SETTLE SCORE WITH MARQUEZ!

Of all the possible bouts being lined up for the Pacman, it has always been my utmost yearning for a Pacquiao-Marquez rematch. Pacquiao needs to settle this unfinished business; otherwise, he will never erase the stigma of the draw, from which most of his critics derive denigration. A decisive win against Marquez practically silences Pacquiao’s critics and installs him as the best fighter there is, if he isn’t yet.

VALERO NEED BUILD HIS FAME & NAME

The undefeated Japan-based Venezuelan and current WBA 130 lb. king Edwin Valero (21-0-0, 21 KOs) is no doubt a perfect opponent for Pacquiao in terms of excitement and unpredictability of the outcome. However, a Pacquiao-Valero showdown at this point in time is not in the best interests of both parties, business-wise. Valero needs to build his name first by appearing in a high-profile PPV card, possibly underneath Pacquiao’s next assignment as the main supporting bout, before both of them battle it out inside the squared circle.

BAUTISTA AND GORRES ARRIVE IN LA!

Accompanied by ALA Boxing Stable’s world class coach Edito “ALA” Villamor, WBO's top contenders in their respective divisions, Rey “Boom-boom” Bautista (21-0-0, 16 KOs) and Z “The Dream” Gorres (26-1-1, 14 KOs) arrive in Los Angeles to train at the Wild Card Gym under the watchful eyes of Freddie Roach for their much-awaited showdowns against Daniel Ponce De Leon (30-1-0, 28 KOs) andFernando “Cochulito” Montiel (32-2-1, 24 KOs), respectively. The mammoth boxing trifecta of WBO championship bouts is scheduled for March 4 in the Philippines.

GONZALES OR CAZARES COMPLETES CARD

With WBO bantamweight (118) champ Jhonny Gonzales (33-5-0, 28 KOs) camp’s apprehensions on defending his title against Gerry Peñalosa (51-5-2, 34 KOs) in the Philippines, stating that they are afraid of a hometown decision. Another Mexican holder of a WBO belt, light flyweight (108) titlist Hugo Cazarez (24-3-1, 18 KOs), is being eyed as a possible replacement to defend his title against either Rodel “Magnum Force” Mayol (23-1-0, 18 KOs) or Bert Batawang (39-12-3, 32 KOs) on the same fight card.

EXPLOSIVE PHILIPPINES VS MEXICO BOXING SPECTACLE LOOMING ON THE HORIZON!

21 December, 2006 by Reylan Loberternos


WBO CHAMPIONSHIP MARATHON IN ONE CARD!

Tagbilaran City, RP – In what could be considered as the best Philippine boxing extravaganza in recent memory, respected boxing impresario and sportsman Antonio L. Aldeguer expressed enthusiasm in possibly staging the “World Cup of Boxing” featuring three of Mexico’s world champions in WBO super bantamweight champ Daniel Ponce de Leon, WBO bantamweight king Jhonny Gonzales, and WBO super flyweight titleholder Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel, who will be pitted against the Philippines’ crème de la crème Rey “Boom-boom” Bautista, Gerry Peñalosa, and Z “The Dream” Gorres, respectively.

OSCAR DELA HOYA’S NOD IS THE LAST MISSING PIECE

Golden Boy Promotions, the entity who has the promotional rights of all the pugilists mentioned above, is still yet to issue the final approval. However, twenty-year-old Filipino boxing phenom Rey “Boom-boom” Bautista also mentioned in one of his interviews that Oscar De La Hoya, the world’s most popular boxer and president of Golden Boy Promotions, told him that his next bout is most likely for the WBO super bantamweight belt, as part of the planned World Cup of Boxing that features Philippines versus Mexico. Furthermore, considering the fact that ALA Boxing Stable, which Mr. Aldeguer owns, has a longstanding pact with De La Hoya’s promotional company, this mammoth card can almost be considered a done deal.

BAUTISTA UNDAUNTEDLY EAGER TO FACE DE LEON!

Fresh from his methodical breakdown of Brazilian Giovanni Andrade (52-10-0, 43 KOs), forcing the grizzled veteran to submission at the start of the fourth round, Rey “Boom-boom” Bautista (21-0-0, 16 KOs) is enthused at a possible crack at the WBO super bantamweight diadem presently owned by hard-hitting Daniel Ponce de Leon (30-1-0, 28 KOs). Bautista, groomed as the Philippines’ heir apparent to fire-breathing Filipino ring icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (43-3-2, 34 KOs), said that he’s not afraid of de Leon and thinks that he can handle the Mexican’s style. Boom-boom also added he just has to train hard to prepare himself for the most important fight of his very young career.

WIN-WIN SITUATION FOR BOOM-BOOM

Win or lose, Bautista’s going to get something out of it. If he wins, he thus solidifies his stature as a very hot boxing commodity and opens up a lot of opportunities both inside and outside the ring. A loss might considerably lower his stock, but this early in his career, not to mention that it’s going to be a titular challenge, he’ll definitely have all the time in the world to start from scratch and work his way up.

PROPOSED VENUE SAME AS THAT OF 2006 ASEAN SUMMIT

This match-up alone, already assuring fight fans of a slam-bang affair, is reportedly considered as the main attraction of this planned event, which takes place tentatively on February 25, 2007 or on a later date, as what might be agreed upon by the concerned parties. The plush Cebu International Convention Center, newly built and site venue of this year’s Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, is being eyed as the most probable venue. This gigantic boxing card is expected to land on HBO pay-per-view or HBO Championship Boxing.

GORRES GETS CHANCE TO REALIZE HIS DREAM!

Z “The Dream” Gorres (26-1-1, 14 KOs) also finally gets a chance at snatching the WBO super flyweight belt presently held by Fernando “Cochulito” Montiel (32-2-1, 24 KOs) when Sammy Gello-ani’s SGG Promotions, an affiliate of ALA Boxing Stable, outbid Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions in the purse bidding sanctioned by the WBO, which was held in Puerto Rico last November 27, and paved the way for staging the fight in Z’s hometown, where the CICC is also located. Montiel earlier expressed his willingness to defend his title against the southpaw Gorres, but was upset at the fact that his promotional company, GBP, was outbid by the two bidding promotional companies that included Top Rank owned by Bob Arum, whom he said has nothing to do with his career, yet offered more than what was offered by his own promoter.

PEÑALOSA TAKES HIS LAST SHOT AT GLORY!

Completing this explosive trifecta is what many consider as Gerry Peñalosa’s (51-5-2, 34 KOs) last chance at the big stage, as he challenges the reigning and defending WBO bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzales (33-5-0, 28 KOs). Peñalosa is coming off a very impressive victory over Panamanian multi-division champ Mauricio Martinez (31-7-1, 21 KOs), dropping him thrice before finally ending the bout in the 9th round via TKO. On the contrary, Jhonny Gonzales’ last assignment was a tough 10th round TKO loss to compatriot Israel Vasquez (41-3-0, 30 KOs) in an attempt to wrest the latter’s WBC super bantamweight championship belt. Gonzales, however, gave a good account of himself dropping Vasquez, who used to be Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partner, twice before his corner threw in the towel in the 10th round. Peñalosa is riding on a five-fight winning streak while Gonzales is feeding off his hunger to redeem himself from the heart-breaking loss in his last outing.

EXPECT THE BEST PROSPECTS IN THE UNDERCARD TOO!

The three main events already guarantee an explosive night, but the possible undercards will certainly make for a great appetizer! Expected to strut their stuff in this colossal boxing card are whom I had dubbed as the three New Princes of Philippine Boxing in Alex John “Bazooka” Banal (10-0-1, 8 KOs), Milan “Milenyo” Melindo (8-0-0, 2 KOs), and Mark Jason “The Punisher” Melliguen (6-0-0, 5 KOs) all of the ALA Boxing Stable.

ARE WE SEEING MAYOL, TOO?

This writer had a little chat with Rodel “Magnum Force” Mayol (23-1-0, 18 KOs) last November 19 (Philippine time) when we watched the Pacquiao-Morales III at Ramrod’s Mansion in Cebu City, along with ALA boys and Cebu Paclanders. He confirmed reports that Top Rank Promotions has already handed a promotional offer to him and said that he’s still in the process of reviewing the terms and conditions of the contract. However, up to this writing, there have still been no reports on him putting his signature on the dotted lines. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again. Mayol is probably the best all-around Filipino pugilist today, Manny Pacquiao included. I wonder why Golden Boy Promotions hasn’t handed an offer to this diamond in the rough… Oscar, you’re passing on something really BIG here!