MANILA, Philippines – Without a confirmed opponent for WBC Youth Intercontinental flyweight champion Milan Melindo, it?s not certain if a boxing card featuring three Filipinos will push through at the Lodge, Chi Garden, Dubai, this Friday.
But ALA gym owner Tony Aldeguer said yesterday the organizers are burning the lines to find a replacement for Colombia?s Devis Perez who is unable to fly out of Bogota because of the flight backlog stemming from the volcanic eruption in Iceland.
Melindo, 22, was set to stake his WBC crown against Perez in a 10-round bout. Perez, 24, totes a 12-1-2 record, with six KOs, and is unbeaten in his last 14 fights. He would?ve been a real test for Melindo whose record is 20-0, with five KOs.
Other Filipinos booked in the card are featherweight Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista and superbantamweight Larry (Bon Jovi) Canillas who are Melindo?s ALA stablemates. Bautista takes on Thailand?s Saichon Sotornpitak while Canillas battles Tanzania?s Fred Sayuni.
Aldeguer said officials of KO Promotions ? a Dubai outfit headed by Zack Taumafi and Filipino Ramon Pizarras ? are hoping to fly in an Australian or American replacement but time is not on their side.
?It?s not the promoter?s fault, it?s nobody?s fault,? said Aldeguer. ?KO Promotions stands to lose a lot of money if the show doesn?t go on. Right now, they?re looking at fighters from countries which don?t require a long processing period to issue visas for Dubai. Thailand and Japan are possible sources.?
Aldeguer said a plan to fly Perez out via Brazil was scuttled because the plane fare is $7,500 and another plan to leave via the US was also ditched because of the hefty $9,000 price tag.
?It?s a big problem and we don?t know if the fights will go on,? said Aldeguer. ?We?re praying for a miracle. I also realize the difficulty of finding an opponent in Milan?s weight division ready to fly out in a few days notice.?
The Filipino contingent left for Dubai last Sunday. Accompanying the three Filipino fighters were Aldeguer?s son Michael who manages the ALA stable as president, ALA vice president Dennis Canete, Philboxing.com founder Dong Secuya and trainers.
The card was postponed once when promoters failed to convince Bobby Pacquiao to stage a comeback.
?Apparently, the promoters began selling tickets with Bobby as the headliner and Manny as special ringside guest to receive an award from a sheikh,? said a source who declined to be identified. ?Representatives of the promoters flew to Manila to attend the recent Elorde Boxing Awards Night so they could meet with Manny and convince him to go. But when they asked Manny, he politely declined. Firstly, Bobby is in no shape to fight because he hasn?t been training. And secondly, Manny would be in the thick of the political campaign.?
The Pacquiao brothers? absence meant repackaging the card and persuading sponsors to keep their money in the project. A survey revealed that Bautista enjoys a fan following among Filipino residents in Dubai and it encouraged promoters to go on with the show although the venue was moved from a large arena to a smaller location.
If the show was doomed from the start, it will be difficult to convince fans to pay good money for the card. If Melindo is scratched, some fans may feel short-changed even as Bautista remains the headliner.
The fights are supposed to be covered live via satellite on the ABS-CBN network but no time of telecast has been announced because of the four-hour time difference between Dubai and the Philippines.
KO Promotions regularly stages muay thai, mixed martial arts and UFC matches in Dubai although this is its first venture into professional boxing.
Aldeguer?s son Michael said Bautista is lined up for a series of fights in the US but has to beat Saichon convincingly to advance.
?This is Boom Boom?s second fight after his surgery last year and we?re bringing his career back slowly to give time for his injured hand to heal,? said Aldeguer. ?We chose a relatively unknown opponent for Boom Boom but his record is decent, assuring us of a competitive fight.?
Saochin, 27, reportedly has a 10-1 record, with five KOs. His only loss was to Georgi Kevlishvili on an eight-round decision in Moscow last July.
Aldeguer described Canillas as a ?fast-rising fighter (who) can punch as indicated by his record of 12 wins with 11 KOs and two losses.?
?We see a bright future for this kid,? continued Aldeguer. ?Since his loss to Reman Salim last year, he has bounced back to score four knockouts not lasting over three rounds. He knocked out his first foreign opponent Petch Twingym last January and Sayuni will be his second foreign opponent.?
Sayuni has a record of 6-3-4, with three KOs.
