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Philippines, 22 May 2024 |
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Pacquiao Invites Rubillar to Train at Wild Card Gym By Alex P. Vidal PhilBoxing.com Fri, 20 Jun 2008 HOLLYWOOD, California -- Instead of heading home to Manila after a 12-round split decision conquest of Omar Nino Romero in Palacio delos Deportes, Mexico City on June 14, world championship mandatory challenger Juanito Rubillar will have to extend his stay in the United States, for a while. This came after no less than Manny Pacquiao himself had asked the 31-year-old Davao-native and Ilonggo-speaking prot?g? of Gabriel "Bebot" Elorde, Jr. to train in the prestigious Wild Card gym in preparation for his title shot at the World Boxing Council (WBC) lightflyweight throne currently worn by Edgar Sosa (32-5, 17 KO) tentatively in November. "Pero basi mapauli ako anay pagkatapos hampang ni Pacquiao kag magbalik lang dayon (I might go home first after Pacquiao's fight and go back later)," said Rubillar who once lost by 9th round knockout to Medgoen Singsurat, the Thai who stopped Pacquiao in three rounds for WBC flyweight title in 1999. The verbal agreement to train in the popular gym was forged when Elorde and Rubillar (46-10, 22 KO) visited Pacquiao and talked to him about the possibility of Rubillar fighting underneath the next fight of Pacquiao in Las Vegas in November versus the 28-year-old Sosa. Elorde asked Pacquiao: "Oh ano ang plano mo sa kanya (Rubillar)?" Pacquiao then told Rubillar to train in the gym together with North American Boxing Federation (NABF) champion Bernabe Concepcion, among other world class Filipino boxers now campaigning in the United States. Rubillar said he was thankful that no less than Pacquiao himself had welcomed him with open arms. He vowed to end the reign of Sosa and bring home the elusive WBC belt that he tried to win twice in as many world title fights against Jorge Arce in 2001 and 2004. Both Sosa and Rubillar emerged victorious in their recent fights in the same promotion. Sosa toppled Japanese southpaw Takashi Kunishige in the main event while Rubillar edged Romero, who once defeated popular Hawaiian-Filipino Brian Viloria for WBC lightflyweight crown. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Alex P. Vidal.  |
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