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MARAON FIGHTS IN U.S. DEC. 12; GONZALES TAKES THAI NOV. 25 PhilBoxing.com Fri, 14 Nov 2008   All's well that ends well. Following a commitment from Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao that he will take care of two of Mindanao's promising boxers who have been waiting for fights in the US for six months, Top Rank has finally scheduled a fight for one of them. "We will be able to squeeze in one of them in the Dec.12 card of Top Rank with Telefutura," Pacquiao's lawyer, Jeng Gacal, told Vice Governor Manny Pi?ol, the boxers' manager, Tuesday. Gacal said upon instructions from Pacquiao, he immediately talked to Top Rank President Bob Arum about the plight of the two boxers. "There seems to be a miscommunication somewhere because Bob is not aware that Top Rank has signed up Glenn Gonzales and Jundy Maraon," Gacal said. Gonzales, a featherweight (7 wins, 4 KOs, 1 draw) and Maraon, a bantamweight (10 wins, 8 KOs, 1 draw), both 23 years old, were signed up by Top Rank late last year through the recommendation of Pacquiao. The 3-year promotional contract was facilitated by Top Rank executive Todd duBoef and was used as the basis for the issuance of the working visa to the two boxers.They were promised 4 fights a year but since arriving in the US in April this year, only Gonzales has fought, on July 5 winning a bout against Florida-based Robert daLuz. "We wanted to accommodate both of them but the card is already filled up and that's Top Rank's last fight promotion for the year," Gacal said. Vice Gov. Pi?ol said that Gonzales, known as "Rapid Fire" and 5' 7" tall, will have to come home to the Philippines on Nov. 12 for a 10-round non-title fight with a still unnamed Thai opponent on Nov. 25 in the big town of Midsayap in North Cotabato which will mark its foundation anniversary. "We have to keep him active or else he will rust. Glenn needs at least a dozen more fights before he could take on the big names." Vice Gov. Pi?ol said of his cousin whose development as a fighter he nurtured since the boxer was an amateur at age 12. Gonzales, a southpaw who caught the eye of trainer Freddie Roach when he was still a 4-round fighter, was a silver medallist of the Asian Youth Boxing Championships as a member of the Philippine national boxing team. A shattered bone in his left hand, however, stunted his career as he had to undergo a bone graft and had to rest for one year. Maraon's opponent has not been named yet, said Atty. Gacal, but he added it would be most likely be a Mexican. Tall for a bantamweight at 5' "6, Maraon, called "Pretty Boy" because of his good looks is a village chief's son in Suminot, Zamboanga del Sur who joined Vice Gov. Pi?ol's Braveheart Boxing Club through the latter's young brother, M'lang Mayor Lito Pinol three years ago. A tremendous puncher, Maraon, also a southpaw, is considered as one of the most powerful boxers in his division. "It is not often that you a see a boxer who can knock out an opponent with one punch but Maraon is one of those rare power punchers," Vice Gov. Pi?ol said. The only blemish in his record was a draw with Pacquiao boxer Ernel Fontanilla who suffered a small cut in the forehead following a smashing left unleashed by Maraon in the 2nd round of their fight in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Oscar Larios bout. "Fontanilla was on the way down but Buboy (Fernandez, Pacquiao trainer) saw a way out by asking the doctor to stop the fight because of that small cut and it was declared a draw," said Vice Gov. Pi?ol. In one of his sparring sessions in Watsonville, California where he is being supervised by Mexican assistant trainer Josh Sanchez, Maraon knocked out cold in sparring a top US bantamweight amateur fighter. "Such is the power of Maraon and this makes him a very exciting fighter," said Vice Gov. Pi?ol. Gonzales and Maraon are two of a dozen outstanding but largely unknown boxers from Mindanao who now fight under the Braveheart Boxing Club of Vice Gov. Pi?ol. Top photo: Maraon (L) and Gonzales.  |
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