BACOLOD CITY?Shaving off excess weight a day before fight night could be detrimental to a boxer?s overall performance during the fight itself but not for a confident Ramon Garcia.
The WBO light flyweight champion weighed in at three-fourths of a pound over the 108-pound limit and had to lose it for an hour to make the weight for his title defense against former minimum weight champion Donnie Nietes in Pinoy Pride 9 in Bacolod City.
Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.
?It?s very easy (losing the excess weight). There will be no problem (on fight night),? the 29-year-old Mexican in an interview after the official weigh-in yesterday at SM City Bacolod.
Garcia, 16-2-1 with 9 KOs, had to run three laps around the mall to shave off the excess weight. Garcia said he didn?t hit the 108-pound mark because the weighing scale he used in the hotel had a different calibration with the one used in the official weigh-in.
Nevertheless, he is confident of retaining his crown and bringing it back home to Mexico.
?It?s just natural for a boxer to be overweight,? said Nietes, 28-1-3 with 16 KOs, of his opponent. ?I will feel him out in the first three rounds. Then if there?s an opportunity for a knockout, then I?ll knock him out.?
Nietes, the only Filipino fighter to ever win in three world title bouts in Mexico against Mexicans, is aiming for history?a second division crown. A win could etch his name in Philippine boxing history as one of the multiple world titleholders likeManny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire Jr.
AJ ?Bazooka? Banal (25-1-1, 19 KOs) is laying his WBO Asia-Pacific bantamweight strap on the line against unbeaten Mexican Mario Briones (20-0-1, 14 KOs) in the supporting main event, a fight that will be an all out war according to Banal.
?One of us will get knocked out. He has power and I too, have power,? said Banal.
In the undercard, undefeated Albert ?Prince? Pagara (7-0, 6 KOs) will trade leathers with Tanzanian Shaaban Madilu (12-6-3, 6 KOs); unbeaten Merlito Sabillo (15-0, 7 KOs) is gunning for the vacant Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation minimumweight crown against journeyman Tejares Singwangcha (13-19-3, 3 KOs).
