IT looks as if Michael Domingo?s luck has finally come as he lands an International Boxing Federation bantamweight title eliminator on Oct. 30, a step closer at a crack to a world championship bout long overdue.
ALA Promotions, led by its president, Michael Aldeguer, recently signed a deal with Branco Melenkovic?s Branco Promotions for Domingo, 31, to face former world title challenger Vusi Malinga in South Africa for the No.1 spot of the IBF bantamweight rankings.
Domingo has already been declined by world champions thrice this year?by World Boxing Organization bantamweight king Fernando Montiel, IBF bantamweight titlist Yonnhy Perez and WBO interim champion Eric Morel.
If he wins this fight, this is his ticket to a world title fight without being turned down. The current IBF bantamweight titleholder is Perez, but he is set to face Joseph Agbeko on Dec. 11 in Showtime?s bantamweight tournament.
The winner of the Domingo-Malinga title eliminator is set to become the mandatory challenger of the victor of Perez-Agbeko rematch.
Domingo, 40-14-2 with 18 knockouts, is rated No. 6 in the IBF, while Malinga, 19-3-1 with 12 knockouts, is ranked sixth by the same major boxing sanctioning body.
Malinga had a bad career start, losing two of his first three fights in 2000. However, he bounced back and went on a 14-fight winning streak, taking the World Boxing Council International bantamweight title in the process by knocking out Lindile Somthi in 2003.
The 30-year-old South African successfully defended his WBC International title thrice and drew once to Filipino Jerope Mercado. He earned a WBC title eliminator against former world champion Veeraphol Sahaprom in 2008 and beat the aging Thai via a fourth-round stoppage. However, he lost in his first world title fight against WBC bantamweight titleholder Hozumi Hasegawa by a first-round technical knockout in 2009.
Domingo, who is off from an impressive second-round knockout over Luis Melendez, will be leaving for South Africa on Oct. 24 along with ALA Gym head trainer Edito Villamor, assistant trainer John Rey Bunao and ALA Promotions public relations head Chad Ca?ares.
