Source: Joaquin Henson, Philippine Star
-- The world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Manny Pacquiao renewed his commitment to bring honor to the country – in and out of the ring – as he vowed to support Filipino fighters with the potential to achieve greatness in a statesmanlike speech before a jampacked audience of over 700 at the 10th Gabriel (Flash) Elorde Memorial Boxing Awards Night and Banquet of Champions in the Sofitel Hotel off Roxas Boulevard last Thursday.
Pacquiao, 31, was named an Elorde Hall of Famer for earning seven consecutive Boxer of the Year honors and becoming the first fighter ever to capture seven world titles in seven weight divisions. Six others were cited for their reigns as world champions last year – Nonito Donaire Jr., Gerry Peñalosa, Donnie Nietes, Brian Viloria, Marvin Sonsona and Rodel Mayol – although only two – Nietes and Mayol – join Pacquiao as titleholders today.
Pacquiao spoke about leaving a legacy and how bringing honor to the country “echoes into eternity” in an emotional speech where he thanked the support of fans and media for his success.
The ring icon said he will always be grateful to the Filipino nation. “I know our people are behind me in every fight, praying for my victory,” he remarked. “I realize my responsibility to our country which is why I work so hard to win, why I try to sign every autograph and pose for every picture I’m asked for. I only wish there were three Manny Pacquiaos to accommodate everyone asking for autographs and pictures.”
Pacquiao, dressed to the nines in a black suit with a striped tie, said he draws inspiration from Elorde, who reigned as world superfeatherweight champion for over seven years, and acknowledged the contributions of former titlists like Peñalosa and Luisito Espinosa in also bringing glory to the country.
It was the night before Pacquiao launched his campaign for the lone congressional seat in Sarangani province and his sentimental message evoked speculation of a possible retirement from the ring, perhaps after a megabuck showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. late this year. Although Pacquiao is at the peak of his career and experts insist he has at least three more competitive years left to fight at a high level, his mother Dionisia has expressed a preference for an early retirement.
Pacquiao and wife Jinkee were mobbed by fans as they entered the Sofitel tent where the Elorde family hosted not only the Awards Night and a sit-down dinner with a five-star P3,000 a-plate meal but also a six-fight boxing card.
Elorde’s widow Laura, 83, welcomed the guests, among whom were Rep. Bongbong Marcos and wife Lisa. Former world champions Dodie Boy Peñalosa and Rene Barrientos, Games and Amusements Board boxing chief Dr. Nasser Cruz, Monsignor Melchor David, US Embassy official and referee Gene LoBianco, former PBA coach Binky Favis and wife Ella, Thai promoter Naris Singwacha, boxing judge Alex Villacampa, Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz and international matchmaker Jun Sarreal. She was accompanied by her seven children – Malou, Bebot, Johnny, Teresa, Marty, Rita and Cucuy – 20 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Flying in from the US to attend the affair were Mrs. Elorde’s sister Lilia Lee, Malou and Bebot’s son Ivan and his family.
Wheelchair-bound Z Gorres arrived from Cebu to attend the festivities with wife Datches and received a thundering applause as program emcees Liza Elorde and Ted Lerner mentioned he was on the road to recovery after undergoing brain surgery in Las Vegas last year.
Pacquiao gave Gorrres a check for P1 million while Trainer of the Year awardee Buboy Fernandez, who could not attend, sent P50,000 in cash as his personal contribution for the fighter’s medical expenses.
Promoter of the Year awardee Michael Aldeguer also came in from Cebu and brought along his ALA stable stars, including Nietes, Milan Melindo, Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista, Michael Domingo and Jason Pagara.
Johnny Elorde, whose company organized the event, said the 10th edition was significant as it commemorated his father’s 25th death anniversary, the 50th anniversary of D’Flash’s knockout over Harold Gomes to win the world superfeatherweight crown at the Araneta Coliseum in 1960 and the late champion’s 75th birthday.
Johnny also mentioned that there was a “twist of luck” in the celebrations with the number 7. D’Flash held the world title for seven years from 1960 to 1967. Pacquiao has won seven world titles in seven divisions and was inducted as an Elorde Hall of Famer after seven straight Boxer of the Year awards. Seven Filipino fighters reigned as world champions last year and they ruled seven weight divisions.
Other awardees included North Cotabato Vice Gov. Manny Piñol as Manager of the Year, Silvestre Abainza as Referee of the Year and Mark Jason Melligen as Most Promising Boxer. Amateur fighters Charly Suarez and Annie Albania were cited for bagging gold medals at the last Southeast Asian Games.
In the fight card, Vinvin Rufino defeated Adonis Aguelo on points to retain his Philippine featherweight crown and Gretchen Abaniel repulsed Thailand’s Fahpratan Looksaikongdin via a unanimous 10-round decision to keep her WIBA minimumweight title. Flash Elorde’s grandsons Juan Martin (Bai) and Juan Miguel (Mig) chalked up knockout wins. Bai, 25, disposed of Thailand’s Kan Hamonkol in a superfeatherweight bout to raise his record to 10-0, while Mig, 23, stopped Anthony Balubar in a bantamweight contest.
Source: Oliver Suarez, Fight Hype
-- The Philippines always had a fondness for boxing, the reason that it has always been a hotbed for talented young boxers. The emergence of Manny Pacquiao as a major star in boxing has only added more talent to its boxing stable by influencing many of the country’s younger generation to participate in the sport.
It can be argued that Philippines is as great a boxing nation as Mexico and Puerto Rico. Mexico and Puerto Rico are only more recognized because before Pacquiao, Filipinos were not given the same opportunities to display their skills at the world stage.
But now the country is slowly gaining respect as more opportunities become available to Filipino boxers because of Pacquiao’s popularity and the magnitude of the Filipino market.
The Philippines now currently has four major title holders with Filipino descent: Nonito Donaire, Donnie Nietes, Manny Pacquiao, and Rodel Mayol.
Still, it’s still questionable if the success of Philippine boxing can be sustained after Pacquiao. Would promoters and others continue to invest on Filipino boxers after Pacquiao?
It depends if the most influential figures in Philippine boxing has already set a stable foundation to ensure its continued success after the current pound for pound king retires. Did they properly take advantage of all the opportunities provided by Pacquiao’s success?
They certainly had enough time to develop a stable foundation since Pacquiao has been a star of the sport for quite sometime
The truth is they have not because their priorities may not have been in the right place and thus affected the potential success of many Filipino fighters.
The problem is most of the Filipino boxers are not being provided the best chance to win. Success is great but it can lead to greed and questionable decision making.
Ciso Morales is a great example of a fighter of this questionable decision making. Now some are questioning his heart and courage because of his devastating loss to Montiel. But the question that should be put out is if he was given the best chance to win. Morales is a young kid who has not fought any notable opponent, yet was pitted against a world class fighter in Fernando Montiel. Not only that, he had to go down in weight to face him.
If they are not given the best chance to win, then they are destined to only attain mediocre type of success. Those who are responsible for these boxers’ careers must evaluate their priorities. Do they care more about immediate success and make money in the short term or do they care about the long term success of their boxers?
A great example of how to properly prepare a fighter is Andre Ward. For the longest time, his handlers and he were criticized for not facing elite fighters or fighting for a title. It was because his handlers wanted him to be both physically and mentally prepared before he stepped up in competition. Now, he just beat a world class opponent in Kessler and is now considered one of the best young fighters in the game.
Developing young fighters who can contend is a major factor in ensuring the success of Philippine boxing. This doesn’t only include that they are physically and mentally ready, but ensuring that they are provided the right strategies for their fights and choosing the right opponents that can help them prepare for future fights against elite opponents. Constantly pitting them against journeyman fighters to hype up their record only does more harm than good in the long term.
Filipinos are just like any other sports fans, they want winners and if they are constantly provided mediocre products then sooner or later they will stop supporting it.
If that happens, then Philippine boxing might again be on the outside looking in after Pacquiao. Filipino fighters once again will find it difficult to get those opportunities to fight for world titles against notable opponents.
Another factor that must be answered is if many of the Filipino fans who support Pacquiao are truly boxing fans or just fans of the Filipino icon.
It is a question that is still need to be answered. How many Filipinos who are ‘supposedly’ boxing fans know about other boxers such as Eden Sonsona, Marvin Sonsona, Aj Banal etc? The fact is a great number of Filipinos I’ve come across with are not familiar with any of the names mentioned above and only know Pacquiao.
Will they continue to support and have the same passion for the sport even after Pacquiao in order to entice promoters to keep investing on Filipino fighters?
Nonito Donaire Jr. is a great champion who just keeps on winning and it’s a wonder why he has not gotten the support of more Filipino fans. People are quick to judge him for failing to fight notable opponents. Some of that may be due to some fighters’ hesitancy to fight a fighter of Donaire’s caliber, but it’s also because the financial incentives might not be enough for them to face ‘The Filipino Flash.’
Filipinos need to support Donaire to convince promoters that the Filipino market in boxing is not dependent on Pacquiao. In fact, it might be necessary and not an option because if other Filipino fighters are only achieving mediocre success, then the responsibility of keeping the fire burning for Philippine boxing will all fall on Donaire’s shoulders.
So will Philippine boxing continue its current success after Pacquiao retires? Only time will tell.
What do you think?
Source: Joaquin Henson, Philippine Star
-- Two-time world boxing champion Gerry Peñalosa said the other day he hasn’t made up his mind whether or not to retire but will make an announcement in a week about his future plans.
Speaking from his Las Vegas Hilton hotel room in an overseas phonecall, Peñalosa deferred making a hasty decision after he lost a controversial split 12-round verdict to Eric Morel in an interim WBO bantamweight title bout last Saturday. He left Las Vegas for Los Angeles yesterday and will fly back to Manila today, landing on Friday.
“My dream is to retire a world champion,” said Peñalosa. “I’m no quitter. But I’m thinking about the future. I’m talking things over with my family. I’m considering my health which is important to my wife and kids. I think Morel can become a world champion someday. He has a good chance to beat (Fernando) Montiel if they fight for the WBO title. But is Morel worthy to become a world champion?”
Peñalosa said it’s not fair for Morel to challenge Montiel for the world crown because last Saturday’s outcome wasn’t conclusive. He disclosed that Freddie Roach, who worked his corner, wants a rematch.
“After the fight, I asked Freddie what he thinks is next for me, what he wants me to do,” said Peñalosa. “He told me I won the fight and he wants a rematch. Even if we ask for a rematch, I don’t think Morel will agree to fight me again. Why will he take a chance on me?”
Peñalosa said if not for the cuts he suffered from headbutts, the fight would’ve had a more decisive conclusion. Morel’s headbutts opened two cuts on both Peñalosa’s eyebrows. Peñalosa said two of the four cuts had to be closed with four stitches each in the hospital.
“The cuts weren’t that deep but the blood was bothering my vision,” said Peñalosa. “I wanted to pressure Morel a lot more especially when he started to slow down midway in the fight. I think I controlled the fight in the late rounds and hurt him with body shots. But because of the blood, I couldn’t go all out. I had to fight a little defensively.”
Peñalosa said despite the handicap, he refused to quit. “When the ringside doctor examined me a second time, he asked if I could see clearly,” he related. “I told him I couldn’t see too much but I could still fight.”
Peñalosa insisted none of Morel’s blows had a major impact.
“I can take his power,” said Peñalosa. “His power wasn’t the problem. It was my cuts. I could see his first punch coming but because of the blood entering my eyes, I couldn’t see his follow-up so I had difficulty countering. I had to cover up more than I wanted to because I couldn’t see where his second punches were coming from.”
Peñalosa said he trained hard for the fight and it showed down the stretch.
“My stamina was good,” he continued. “I never got tired. I think I was fresher than him in the end. If ever we fight again, I’ll pressure him from the start. My mistake was I let him get an early lead then when I got cut, I fought defensively and became erratic with my offense.”
Peñalosa said he hasn’t discussed the future with promoter Bob Arum.
“We haven’t talked,” said Peñalosa, referring to the Top Rank chief executive officer. “But I spoke with my manager Billy (Keane, Roach’s best friend). Billy told me he’ll abide by whatever decision I make. Billy feels that if I’m still hungry, if I still want to win the title badly, I should go on. If you’re hungry, you’ll have the discipline to train hard. But if you’ve lost the will to win, then it’s time to retire.”
Source: Michael Woods, The Sweet Science
-- Nonito Donaire looked rock-solid in the main event of the Latin Fury-Pinoy Power PPV card from the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday night. But he was a super flyweight in with a man who battled as a minimumweight/straw-weight boxer, so no one should lose themselves in exultation at the third round stoppage victory for the "Filipino Flash." For those of you unfamiliar with that weight class, that meant Manuel Vargas weighed in at 105 pounds for that September bout against Donnie NIetes. For this scrap, he was 114 pounds, but Vargas may as well have been 100 pounds, dripping wet with flop sweat as he readied himself to surrender to the heavy handed Donaire (115 pounds; 22-1; from General Santos City, Philippines).
The challenger Vargas (age 28; 26-4-1 entering; from Mexico; ex straw-weight champ) took the bout on just three days notice, after Gerson Guerrero failed an eye exam. He was in the gym training for a March 12 bout, against 108 pound champion Rodel Mayol, so he was keen to make more money, and fight on a bigger stage. This was a non-title affair. The official time of the finish was 1:33 of the third. Donaire landed 35 punches of 106 thrown, while Vargas landed just four of 45.
In case anyone out there was fantasizing about a PPV price markdown, what with the switcheroo of foes, let it be said that Guerrero may well not have made it past three himself. His record isn't built on the firmest of foundations...
In the first, the 27-year-old Donaire, whose sole loss came in his second pro outing, showed a height and reach edge, in a big way. There looked to be a two division gap between the men. The latecomer backed up, mostly to his left. When he came forward, he paid; a left hook clanked his head with a minute to go. Donaire is such a calm customer, and he looked to be totally non flustered by anything Vargas showed him. In the second, a right hand buzzed the underdog. Then another. It didn't look like we'd see the sixth, let alone a distance scrap. Vargas' mouth hung open, but he wasn't shy. He'd hurl the occasional overhand right that Donaire evaded with relative ease. In the third, Donaire dropped Vargas with a left-right-left-right-left combo, and he lay on his back, cooked. Ref Joe Cortez counted to ten.
Gerry Penalosa (age 37; from the Phillipines; , a 20 year pro; 54-7-2 entering; two time world champ; 118 pounds) took on Eric Morel (34; born in Puerto Rico; 1996 Olympian; ex fly champ; 117 pounds; 41-2 entering) in a fight for the vacant WBO world bantamweight crown. Morel used his legs to great effect, and came away with a split decision win (115-113 for Morel, 115-113 for Penalosa, 116-112 for Morel), a decision at odds with the announcers working the show. TSS agreed with the 116-112 Duane Ford card for Morel, liking his dialed in pugilism, while as always coming away with mad respect for Penalosa's cajones.
Morel looked the peppier of the two thirtysomethings in the first. He circled left, away from Gerry's left. The Filipino got the right hook to the body untracked in the second. Morel tried to take some steam out with a groinshot. Morel came out with a pile of power shots to start the third, sending a message. But really his legs spoke loudest; his mobility if used properly could give him an edge. Gerry's left eye swelled up by this juncture. In the fourth, Morel moved well but where was the O? It came at the end of the round actually, maybe enough to get the judges' nod. Morel didn't slow down in the fifth, but we wondered if he could stay energized and moving for the duration. In the sixth, the action stopped for a head clash. Gerry's right eye was cut. Then his left eye sprung a leak, again from an accidental head bump. The doc looked at Gerry, and he pronounced him fit to continue.
In round seven, Morel kept on keeping on, getting in, getting off, and getting away. That is, until a minute left, when Gerry landed a combo. The blood from the left eye bothered Gerry's vision in the eighth, but he kept chugging forward. He won the round, as Morel's dancing dropped off. In round nine, Morel was back on message, but Penalosa's body work was sharp. In the 10th, Morel's ring generalship looked to be the difference, if you are the sort who prizes that, even if there wasn't excessive offense to augment it. In the 11th, Morel didn't fade. He kept clear of Gerry's power launches, but was he throwing enough to win the rounds? He was on my card. In the last round, Morel kept on his Segway, maybe too much for what was almost certainly a megatight fight. We'd go to the cards. Steve Farhood had Gerry up big, Al Bernstein a bit less, and Nick Charles also saw Gerry the victor. TSS did not. The stats said: Morel went, while Gerry was.
Champ Fernando Montiel (age 30; from Mexico; three division champ; 118 pounds; 39-2-2 entering) hooked up with Ciso Morales (118 pounds; 14-0 entering; from the Philippines), in a defense of his WBO 118 pound belt. Montiel likes to sweep with the left hook and voila. Morales ate one, to the gut, and went down with a minute left. He hit the deck, laying on his belly, and couldn't beat Robert Byrds' count. On replay, viewers saw that it wasn't a groin shot, but a belt-line crack thrown as Morales jabbed, which felled the kid. He didn't protest a crotchshot, for the record. The time: 2:06 of the first.
Filipino Bernabe Concepcion (age 22; 126 pounds; 29-2-1 coming in) won a UD10 from Puerto Rican Mario Santiago (age 31; 126 pounds; 21-1-1 entering) in the TV opener, and put himself ahead in the JuanMa sweepstakes. The lefty Santiago circled, and used his jab to good effect in the first. Bernie did get off a sharp right with Santiago's back to the ropes two minutes in. Manny Pacquiao sat in the audience, rooting on the fellow Filipino. Bernie got heated in the second, and his right hand touched up the Puerto Rican multiple times. Bernie fired after the bell in the third, showing distaste for a low blow earlier on. Santiago backed up, but it was hard to decipher his strategy in doing so. He didn't counter smartly, make Bernie pay if he got out of position. Why wasn't he using a heigh and reach advantage, his corner wondered. Bernie scored a knockdown off a right at 1:40 of the sixth. Could he finish? Santiago got his head, and his legs looked solid enough to stick around awhile. Santiago indeed got something done with body shots in the ninth. He knew he needed a late surge. That came in the tenth--he forged ahead, and got aggressive, and whaled away. A right uppercut was sharp, and he snapped with both hands. Where was this furor the rest of the way? He gestured at and screamed at Bernie, and won the last round by a wide margin. We'd go to the cards. 98-91, 96-93, 97-92, they said, all for the Filipino. He went 145-387 and Santiago was 149-789, supposedly, but this was a clear case of the stats giving a mistaken impression. So, how will Concepcion fare in a WBO featherweight title crack against JuanMa? He'll be the underdog, let's put it that way. JuanMa will like his lack of volume, his squared up style, his lack of pinpoint accuracy.
SPEEBAG Pacquiao took the mike and talked up his foundation, the Manny Pacquiao Foundation, which is accepting donations to help defray medical costs for the Filipino fighter Z Gorres, who suffered a brain injury in his last bout, against Luis Melendez on Nov. 13 in Las Vegas. TSS readers can send money to: The Manny Pacquiao Foundation C/O Top Rank Boxing, 3980 Howard Hughes Blvd Suite 580, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109.
---Afterwards, Donaire said he'd next like to fight Darchinyan next.
Source: Rene Bonsubre, Jr. PhilBoxing
-- WBA interim superflyweight champ Nonito 'The Filipino Flash' Donaire (22W-1L, 11KO’s) knocked out challenger Manuel Vargas of Mexico in the 3rd round. Donaire landed power shots with ease. A sharp left uppercut in the third round sent Vargas to the canvas and he stayed flat on his back for the full ten count. Official time: 1:33 of the third round.
The Mexican known as “Chango” gave up too much in height and reach. Vargas (26W-4L-1D, 11KO’s) last fought at 105 lbs. and lost a split decision to WBO minimumweight champ Donnie "Ahas" Nietes in a fight held last September in Nayarit, Mexico
Vargas was a late substitute for Gerson Guerrero, who was found to have a tear in his right eye retina during the pre-fight medical examination and was not allowed to fight.
WBO bantamweight champ Fernando Montiel (40W-2L-2D, 30 KO’s) of Mexico scored a first round knockout over Ciso Morales using a vicious left hook to the body. Official time: 2:06 of 1st.
This was only Morales’ 15th pro fight and his first career loss.
Former two time world champ Gerry Penalosa (54-8-2, 36 KOs) lost to former WBA world flyweight champ Eric “Hands of Steel” Morel (42-2, 21 KOs) in a bantamweight eliminator and the WBO interim belt. The 37 year old Penalosa had trouble catching the taller and fast moving Morel early in the fight.
Penalosa went to the body but suffered a swelling under his left eye. Penalosa found his range and started to rally in the 6th. Two headbutts opened cuts on Gerry’s face in the 7th. But Penalosa continued his rally and landed the cleaner punches.
From the ninth round onwards Morel was getting pummelled and retreating but still managed to win. The scores – 115-113 and 116-112 for Morel and 115-113 for Penalosa.
Bernabe “The Real Deal” Concepcion ( 28W (14 KO’s) – 3 L- 1 D) scored an impressive unanimous decision win over Puerto Rican Mario Santiago (21W (14KO’s) -2L-1D).
Concepcion used good lateral movement and textbook weapons against a southpaw – right hand lead and left hook. A well timed right sent Santiago crashing to the canvas in round 6.
Concepcion went on cruise control but Santiago tried to stage a late rally in the 10th and final round with low blows and tried to pin the Filipino on the ropes.The score cards read: 98-91, 97-92 and 96-93.
Concepcion has been promised another title shot against WBO featherweight champ Juan Manuel Lopez. Concepcion lost by disqualification against Steven Luevano last August in his first title shot. Luevano has since been dethroned by Lopez.
Mark Jason Melligen of the ALA Gym won by 6th round TKO over Raymond Gatica (11W (6KO’s) -1L -0) of the U.S. and handed him his first career loss. Melligen is now 17 wins with 13 KO's and 2 losses.
This fight card was held at the Las Vegas Hilton. Watching the fights and providing inspiration were Z “The Dream” Gorres and world’s best boxer Manny Pacquiao.
Source: ABS-CBN News
-- Peñalosa: I'm ready for Morel
World Boxing Association (WBA) interim super flyweight champion Nonito Donaire, Jr. was saddened when his foe, Mexican Gerson Guerrero, was declared out of the Pinoy Power 3 main event.
This came after Guerrero failed his eye exam because of a detached retina.
Donaire consoled Guerrero during the Pinoy Power 3 press conference at the Las Vegas Hilton on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
“I feel his pain... He's a true warrior,” said Donaire. “I know how he trained so hard... My heart aches for him.”
The WBA interim super flyweight titleholder will now defend his belt against another Mexican, Manuel “Chango” Vargas.
Donaire’s new opponent is expected to arrive in Las Vegas from Mexico on Thursday (Friday in Manila).
Vargas was defeated by Filipino Donnie Nietes last September via split decision in Latin Fury 11. He failed to win Nietes’ World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimum weight title in Nayarit, Mexico.
Vargas holds a record of 26 wins (with 11 knockouts), 4 losses and 1 draw while Donaire has a 22-1 (14 KOs) record.
Donaire earlier told ABS-CBN News that he is on a diet of soup with egg and vegetables so that he can make the weight during the weigh-in on Friday (Saturday in Manila).
Ready to rumble
The boxing event, which features Filipinos going against Latinos, is also called Latin Fury 13. It will take place at the Las Vegas Hilton on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
Ciso Morales will vie for the WBO bantamweight belt against titleholder Fernando Montiel of Mexico.
Gerry Peñalosa and Bernabe Concepcion, meantime, will take on Puerto Rican fighters. Peñalosa will fight Eric Morel while Conception will face Mario Santiago.
Peñalosa and Morel said during the press conference that they are ready to rumble.
“Handa siya, handa ako... Bugbugan na talaga,” said Peñalosa.
Morel, for his part, boasted, “I’ve got reach, speed, movement, power.”
In the undercard, Filipino Mark Melligen will fight Raymond Gatica.
Pinoy Power 3 will be aired live on ABS-CBN on Sunday, February 14 at 10:30 a.m. Replays will be shown on the same day on Studio 23 at 8 p.m. and ABS-CBN’s “Sunday’s Best” at 10:30 p.m.
Pinoy Power 3 replays will also be shown on February 16 at 4 p.m. and February 18 at 9 p.m. on SkyCable TV’s Balls Channel.
Source: Joaquin Henson, PhilStar
-- Defending interim WBA superflyweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr. said yesterday he’s ready to go to war against Mexican challenger Gerson Guerrero in their 12-round bout headlining Top Rank’s “Latin Fury 13/Pinoy Power 3” sequel at the Hilton in Las Vegas on Feb. 13.
Doniare, 27, relinquished his IBF flyweight throne to annex the interim WBA 115-pound crown at Panamanian Rafael Concepcion’s expense last year and is gearing for a shot at a second world title. He realizes holding an interim championship is only a stepping stone but his immediate concern is to dispose of Guerrero, considered a dangerous foe with a 34-8 record, including 26 KOs – 65 percent of which came inside three rounds.
Guerrero, 32, is an experienced veteran who once knocked out former WBO lightflyweight titleholder Hugo Cazares. He’s coming off a 10th round stoppage of Enrique Quevedo for the vacant North American Boxing Federation superflyweight crown in a WBC title eliminator in Mexico City last June.
What makes Guerrero even more dangerous is his resiliency. Early last year, he survived a knockdown in the first round to halt Darwin Zamora in the second. He has lost to champions Daniel Ponce de Leon, Cristian Mijares and Maurico Pastrana but came back to remain a strong contender for the world title. Guerrero, who turned pro in 1995 – six years before Donaire’s debut, is ranked No. 3 by the WBC and No. 10 by the WBA.
“I’ve never underestimated anyone,” said Donaire in an e-mail to The Star from his San Mateo home in northern California. “Look at the odds against me when I fought Concepcion. No one thought he’d come in that much overweight but still I didn’t care. That weight made him a larger ‘bull’ for me to take down. Guerrero has everything to take from me and I know he’ll come to the ring fully prepared. He’s a tough opponent.”
Donaire logged over 90 rounds of sparring in training for Guerrero. He brought in sparmates Eric Manriquez from Texas and Randy Caballero from Palm Springs.
“Both have a lot of energy and different styles,” said Donaire. “They really made me think and be aware of what’s going on in the ring. I sparred with them for the last time at the Undisputed Gym in San Carlos City last Friday. I plan to get four or five more rounds of sparring in Vegas just to maintain. They’ve been around since Jan. 3 and we’ve sparred every other day. I’m now about 125 pounds so I should be fine.”
Donaire said he noticed that promoter Gary Shaw has started talking to the press about the possibility of a rematch with WBA and WBC superflyweight champion Vic Darchinyan whom he knocked out for the IBF flyweight diadem in 2007.
“I’m not looking past Guerrero,” said Donaire. “I’ve heard talks about a rematch. But I’ve heard that for two years now. After Guerrero, anything can happen. They just have to talk to my manager Cameron (Dunkin) and get everything straightened out. I’m ready for whomever Cameron puts in front of me.”
Darchinyan, 34, is slated to stake his WBC and WBA belts against Mexico’s Rodrigo Guerrero in Rancho Mirage, California, on March 6.
Donaire said he can’t wait to get rid of Guerrero.
“My entire camp was sitting in front of the TV watching Juanma Lopez, Steven Luevano and Yuriorkis Gamboa last week,” said Donaire. “I was really excited and watching these guys go at it – it just makes me wish my fight day was tomorrow. Man, I’d be honored to fight any of those featherweights. But first things first. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do on Feb. 13, get more titles and move up. I’m sure the day will come when we’ll all meet in the ring.”
Lopez stopped Luevano in the seventh round to wrest the WBO featherweight crown at Madison Square Garden in New York City last Jan. 23. Gamboa knocked out Rogers Mtagwa to retain his WBA featherweight title in the undercard.
Four other Filipinos are fighting in the card at the Hilton, which hosted its first pro boxing card featuring Sonny Liston in the main event and George Foreman in the undercard in 1969. The Las Vegas Hilton was also the venue where Leon Spinks upset Muhammad Ali in a Top Rank promotion in 1978.
Source: Brad Cooney, Examiner
-- Usually when either I or some other boxing scribe writes an article about Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao, someone out there will ring in with some sort of racial comment and sooner or later someone always takes a cheap shot and says something to insult someone, or to insult anothers country of origin.
This writer has read several comments made by Pacquiao fans that speak about how Americans do not respect Asian fighters etc... With the arrival of the great Manny Pacquiao, and several other successful Filipino fighters, it's hard not to give respect to the Philippines.
America has a long history of great boxers that spreads across several weight divisions. For many years it was the American fighters that got most of the media play, and held most of the belts. This has changed over time, and with the explosion of Filipino fighters that have surfaced do to Pacquiao's success, one must respect the talent that comes out of the PI.
Recently while attending the fights in Tunica, Mississippi I was able to get some thoughts from some of the fans on how they view the fighters coming out of the Philippines. Most of them only heard of a few Filipino fighters, Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire. When I asked boxing fan Mike Kaplan of Jackson, MS what his thoughts on Filipino fighters was, he replied, "The only one that I heard of from The Philippines is Manny Pacquiao. He seems to be a great fighter, and seems pretty humble."
When I asked Felix Pace to share his thoughts on fighters from the Philippines, he replied, "I don't know much about Filipino fighters except for Manny Pacquiao. Manny sure can fight, and he seems like a down to earth person. When I saw him fight Miguel Cotto, he reminded me of that face hugger thing in that movie "Alien" where it launched across the room and attached to that dudes face. Pacquiao just launched across the ring and beat up Cotto's face something terrible."
Throughout my stops inside the casino in Tunica, I did not come across one American boxing fan that had anything negative to say about fighters from the Philippines. True enough that not many of them knew many Filipino fighters in the first place, but for those who knew Manny and Donaire, they had positive attitudes.
Source: ABS-CBN News
Pinoys in Vegas raise $8,000 for Gorres
-- Fallen boxer ZC Oliveros “the Dream” Gorres declared his all-out support for his fellow Filipinos who will take on Latino foes in Pinoy Power 3 in Las Vegas next month.
“Good luck talaga, good luck sa kanila. Dapat hindi magkumpiyansa at panalangin sa Panginoon,” he told Bev Llorente of ABS-CBN North America News Bureau.
Gorres is currently undergoing rehabilitation in the United States after undergoing 2 major brain surgeries.
He was scheduled to fight for a world title in Pinoy Power 3 before his injury during his 10-round bout against Colombian Luis Melendez last November.
Although he won via unanimous decision, Gorres suffered a left straight punch to the temple in the 10th round which caused a blood clot in his brain.
Despite this, Gorres said that watching the fight ringside is almost as good as being in the ring.
Fellow boxer Mark Jason Melligen, meantime, stated: “Sa ngayon na laban na ‘to ibubuhos ko talaga babawiin ko ang nangyari sa kaniya at yung talo ko.” Melligen will face Raymond Gatica in the undercard, according to Sun.Star Cebu.
Pinoy Power 3, which features Nonito Donaire, Jr., Gerry Peñalosa, Bernabe Concepcion and Ciso Morales, will take place on February 13 at the Las Vegas Hilton. The event will be telecast live on ABS-CBN on February 14.
Donaire will face off with Gerson Guerrero, Peñalosa will fight Eric Morel, Concepcion will battle Mario Santiago, and Morales will challenge Fernando Montiel.
Significant improvement
Meanwhile, Gorres’ attending physician, Dr. Benito Calderon, said his ongoing comprehensive rehabilitation has seen significant improvement with his ambulation. Gorres can now walk with a walker up to 50 feet with assistance.
“Ang target lang natin dito is makalakad muna siya kung maka fully recover siya, I think maganda ang future niya, kahit na he can work as a trainer siguro, pero as a fighter again I don't think he can do that,” noted Calderon.
Gorres and his wife, Datches, are hopeful that the rehabilitation will lead Gorres to a full recovery so that he may live a functional life.
Moreover, they are thankful for the support of the Filipino-American community in Las Vegas.
Fundraiser
Hundreds of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in Las Vegas congregated to help raise funds for Gorres. The local Pinoy community raised more than $8,000.
“Malaki talaga ang pasasalamat ko dahil sa pinakita nila. Talagang ang mga Pilipino nagsusuporta walang iwanan talaga,” said Gorres.
Datches that even though she was a stranger in “Sin City,” her kababayans’ overwhelming support helped her a lot.
“Hindi lang po ako nag-iisa lalo na sa lugar na ito na wala kaming kamag-anak, at least, may mga taong nagbigay ng tulong at suporta sa amin,” she stated.
Local entertainers donated their time and talent for the injured boxer. Some even sang “Habang May Buhay” by After Image.
“Ang nangyari kay Z Gorres ay puwedeng mangyari sa ibang boksingero kaya nandito kami para damayan siya, the Filipino bayanihan spirit,” said one of Gorres’ supporters, Filipino business owner Mimi Lim.
