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Philippines, 17 May 2024 |
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MICHAEL DOMINGO'S COMING OUT PARTY By Dong Secuya PhilBoxing.com Mon, 24 May 2010  A faked right straight to the head had Melendez brought up his two hands high up to cover his face but Domingo in an instant followed this up with a crushing left cross to the right side of Melendez's body which was now left open. Upon impact, there was a momentary shock in Melendez's face, a pause, then Melendez's knees buckled. A few moments later, Melendez dropped down to the canvas on all fours writhing in pain and gasping for breath. The full brunt of the shot to the liver perfectly executed by Domingo had now fully enveloped Melendez's physical and mental being. Referee Gene del Bianco had counted Melendez out at 1:39 of the second round to end the contest before a jubilant crowd at the Grand Pacific Ballroom of the Waterfront Hotel & Casino in Cebu City Sunday night. For Michael Domingo, 30, the unassuming native of Sultan Kudarat in southern Philippines who had toiled fighting in the background for eleven long years, and ALA boxing stable, who had wished for a payback because of the forced retirement of one of its best boxers and one of the Philippines' finest, Z Gorres -- it's mission accomplished. Gorres, to recall, was on the verge of making it big in America after signing with Top Rank in July 2009. Top Rank had a keen interest on Gorres after Gorres' performance against one of its mainstay Fernando Montiel when Gorres challenged Montiel's WBO superfly title in February 2007 in Cebu. Gorres knocked out former world champion Cruz Carvajal in Nayarit, Mexico in September as Top Rank's first assignment. Gorres had been set to fight Montiel for a blockbuster rematch if he would hurdle his next assignment, the hard punching Luis Melendez of Colombia, set at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay on the eve of Pacquiao's fight against Miguel Cotto on Nov. 13, 2009. In the 10th and last round, Gorres appeared headed for a shutout win and had delivered the finest performance of his career when 20 seconds into the bell a crackling left by Melendez landed squarely into Gorres' jaw that almost cost Gorres his own life. Just before the start of the Domingo-Melendez tussle, Gorres was ushered in into the arena walking haltingly aided by his wife Datchess that had charged the Waterfront Hotel crowd emotionally. Tears were seen rolling in the now chubby Gorres cheeks and many in the audience were seen wiping their tears out with handkerchiefs. No doubt the scene had probably added more fire to Domingo's resolve to defeat the 'enemy' and probably drained Melendez emotionally by having to perform in front of a fighter, in his own backyard and his own people, whose promising career he unexpectedly ended. Additionally Melendez may have also been drained physically, having arrived in Cebu only 48 hours before the contest, by having changed planes and continents many times over before finally reaching his opponent's territory. Some may question the appropriateness of pitting Domingo against Melendez and using Gorres for the revenge angle. Professional boxing is first and foremost, business. It being a sport comes in second. But it is also the pride of countries and the rallying point of ethnic groups and sometimes, a way to settle personal grudges. Melendez had been offered a fight to which he accepted, knowing fully well the rules of the game and presumably, especially in this particular fight, what to expect in his opponent's hometown. As the saying goes, 'All is fair in love and war' and if you have doubts and reservations, don't enter. "I was mad at Melendez because he was not punching. We paid him $12,000 to come here and he was not fighting. I was really mad," ALA Promotions head honcho Antonio L. Aldeguer told a group of sportwriters right after the fight. 
Referee Gene del Bianco and Melendez are both looking for the ring physician to come over after the count. 
Gorres' presence has the Waterfront Hotel crowd emotionally charged. As it turned out, Melendez was already hurt in the ribs right in the very first round the reason why he was holding up his punches. "En primera round," Melendez's manager Osvaldo Martinez told us while pointing his finger to the right side of his body to indicate that Melendez was already hurt in the ribs right in the very first round. Martinez was also worried that Melendez may have some of his ribs broken and had him sent to a hospital for check up. "That was really the plan," Domingo's trainer Edito Villamor told us at the after-fight party held at the Sports & Exchange Bar along Mango Ave. "We planned to take him out early. After reviewing his tapes, we knew that he was a slow starter, feeling his opponent, but he gradually gets his rhythm and he gets stronger as the fight progresses. He also almost always puts his hands up high so we planned to attack his body from the get go." Thus it was a short and anti-climactic night for Domingo's first headliner but it nevertheless served the purpose. Domingo, who has 14 losses in his resume that goes with 40 wins and 2 draws, was himself on the verge of making his own mark in the boxing world. He was offered a title fight against IBF bantamweight champion Yonnhy Perez, another Columbian, earlier this year but after signing the contract and sending it to Team Perez, it was never consummated. Domingo was also offered by the ALA group as a substitute to fight Fernando Montiel after Gorres was incapacitated but Montiel's group turned down the offer and instead went the safe route by fighting the greenhorn Ciso Morales. Domingo's bad record has been a hindrance in making the big fights as he was always seen as a high risk-low reward proposition and this had been aptly demonstrated when Domingo was picked up as a B-side against one of Golden Boy's prospects the then undefeated 22-0-0 Miguel Roman whom Domingo defeated in a dominating fashion during the Philippines vs Mexico World Cup in Sacramento in August 2007 to the consternation of Golden Boy. "Why is it that he has so many losses?" Melendez asked us through his interpreter upon his arrival in Cebu Friday. The reason was Domingo's and Domingo's former manager's take-no-prisoner approach earlier in Domingo's career where he traveled in the islands, in Thailand and in Japan to fight seasoned and much bigger opponents. A case in point was his two loses against Jimrex Jaca who at 5'7" is much bigger than Domingo's 5'3" frame. Jaca, who is now a stablemate, is now fighting at lightweight. Domingo also fought and lost to highly touted Jorge Linares in a 124 lb contest. So instead of fighting in a much lower weight categories, the small-framed Domingo was sent in fighting the bigger guys earlier in his career. It was only Domingo's sheer determination under ALA's guidance that he was able to overcome his tag as a journeyman and a whipping boy. Since joining the ALA stable in 2005, Michael had registered a 18-2-0 record with 9 knockouts. "It was AJ Banal who was supposed to fight Melendez," ALA Promotions Vice-President Dennis Ca?ete has informed. "But we saw the perfect opportunity for Domingo to shine and Domingo did not disappoint." The ALA group, according to Ca?ete, is now looking to have Domingo fight the big guys in the division. "Hopefully, we can arrange a fight against Darchinyan, Yonnhy Perez or Montiel," Ca?ete said. After fighting the Jacas and the Linareses of the world, Domingo is more than happy to fight guys his on weight and size, even if they belong to the very top of his division. And on this particular Sunday night, it was mission accomplished for Michael Domingo. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.  |
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