IBF Intercontinental superflyweight champion Z Gorres said yesterday there is no tape available of Nick (Black Sugar) Otieno in action but even if he?s clueless on how the Kenyan fights, winning won?t be a problem in their 12-round bout at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City on May 31.
?I have no idea of his style,? said Gorres in Pilipino. ?I was told he likes to come forward and throws a lot of punches. This is a big challenge for me since I won?t know what to do until we?re both in the ring. I?ll adjust along the way. I?ll study what he does from the first to third rounds then come up with a plan.?
Gorres, 26, admitted it?s difficult to devise a fight strategy without the benefit of a scouting report but he?s prepared to do what it takes to beat Otieno whom ALA stable owner Tony Aldeguer described as no easy opponent.
Gorres said he can?t afford to lose because Otieno is his ticket to another world title shot.
Last year, Gorres lost a disputed split 12-round decision to WBO superflyweight titlist Fernando Montiel in Cebu. It was a bitter ending to his first crack at a world crown.
Then came the controversial split 12-round draw with former IBF flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan of Australia in Cebu last February. A win would?ve earned for Gorres an appointment with IBF superflyweight king Dimitri Kirilov of Russia. Instead, Darchinyan and Kirilov will slug it out for the throne on Aug. 2 with the survivor obliged to defend against the winner of the Gorres-Otieno bout.
Darchinyan is ranked No. 3 and Gorres No. 4 in the 115-pound division by the IBF. There are no No. 1 and No. 2 contenders.
Gorres said he learned a lot of lessons from the Montiel and Darchinyan fights.
?From Montiel, I saw the importance of experience and not being emotional,? he went on. ?From Darchinyan, I found out you have to be prepared to deal with dirty tactics and not get carried away because your opponent is dirty. I?m hoping to fight Darchinyan again to prove something. I?m a better fighter now. I won?t take Otieno for granted. I know I must beat him to fight for the world title again.?
Otieno, 33, is the reigning Universal Boxing Organization bantamweight champion who?s dropping down to superflyweight for the chance to grab Gorres? world rating. He earned the trip to Cebu after demolishing Gorres? original opponent African Boxing Union superflyweight titleholder Francis Matthew Miyeyusho of Tanzania at 1:20 of the first round in Nairobi last April 5.
The Professional Journalists Association of Kenya said Otieno is known for his ?indefatigable? style ?where he lets no opponent rest in the ring, often he has been dubbed ?pressure? for his maintenance of a high pace over 12 rounds.? He was described as ?a complete boxer with great defensive skills and an impressive ability to maintain the same fiery pace from the first to the last round.?
Otieno?s record is 15-1, with five KOs. His only loss was a majority 12-round decision to Eduardo Garcia of Mexico in Ekaterinburg, Russia, last February.
?I really need to prove myself,? said Otieno, quoted by Kenyan writer Edward Sande. ?I am happy with the opportunity to face the No. 4 contender. I know I can win this fight. This time, this is my time. I have to make the best out of this before I quit boxing.?
A late bloomer with an extensive amateur background, Otieno turned pro only three years ago. He was extremely active last year, logging six fights.
Otieno said after losing to Garcia in Russia, he realized there is no substitute for a knockout or a severe beating to win on hostile soil.
?I know that if I do not knock an opponent out cold, I had better deliver a one-sided beat down, leaving no room for the scorecards to doubt who fought well,? said Otieno.
The Gorres-Otieno fight tops a 60-round card, dubbed ?One More Time.? In the chief aperitif, former WBC flyweight champion Malcolm Tu?acao ends a 16-month layoff to face Tanzania ?s Rashid Ally.
