Daniel Ponce De Leon is just 5-5 and barely 120 pounds soaking wet, but his fierce demeanor in the ring belies his diminutive size.
Ponce De Leon’s aggressiveness between the ropes will be on display Saturday night when he puts his WBO junior featherweight title on the line against unbeaten 20-year-old Filipino Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista, the No. 1 contender, at Sacramento’s Arco Arena (HBO, 10 p.m. ET/PT).
The Ponce De Leon-Bautista fight is the headliner for the second Boxing World Cup, a team competition featuring six bouts between boxers from Mexico and boxers from the Philippines.
The World Cup is the brainchild of Oscar De La Hoya’s company, Golden Boy Promotions, which sponsors the biennial competition. The first one, in 2005, featured Mexico against Thailand. Mexico won that competition 5-1.
Ponce De Leon (31-1, 28 KOs) is a 26-year-old southpaw with a penchant for ending his fights early and dramatically.
His first title victory was a 12-round decision in 2005 against Thailand’s Sod Looknongyangtoy, who was unbeaten. But a year later, a rapidly improving Ponce De Leon needed just one punch and 52 seconds in the rematch to knock out his Thai opponent.
Of his 31 victories, 11 have been by KO in four rounds or fewer, including first- and second-round KOs in two of his last four fights.
Bautista (23-0, 17 KOs), even at such a tender age, might be the second-most popular Filipino fighter, behind Manny Pacquiao, the captain of the Filipino team. Bautista is eager to impress his country.
“It’s a tough fight, but I believe in me, and I’m motivated to prevail,” Bautista said. “My country will be watching this World Cup, and I want to tell them I will win.”
In the co-main event, WBO bantamweight champion Jhonny Gonzalez (34-5, 29 KOs) of Mexico City takes on 34-year-old Filipino Gerry Penalosa (51-6-2, 34 KOs).
Ex-champ out of jail:
Former WBA flyweight champion Eric Morel was released from prison Thursday after serving time after pleading no contest to sexually assaulting a teenage girl. His lawyer said the boxer hopes to resume his career.
Morel was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison and two years of extended supervision after his plea to second-degree sexual assault of a drunken 15-year-old girl in 2002.
Morel was released from Fox Lake (Wis.) Correctional Institution and will be on extended supervision until October 2009, said John Dipko, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
Attorney Victor Arellano said the 31-year-old boxer has been getting in shape and plans to live in Madison, Wis., where his parents and other family members are. “He wants to continue in what he does best,” Arellano said. “He wants to continue in boxing and give it another try. He is still young and will come back strong and committed.”
Morel, a 1996 Olympian, won the WBA title in 2000 in Madison. He successfully defended it five times before losing a unanimous decision to Lorenzo Parra in 2003.
