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Philippines, 24 Nov 2025 |
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BOYS FROM MINDANAO STEP INTO THE LIMELIGHT PhilBoxing.com Wed, 18 Feb 2009  Nine outstanding young boxers from Mindanao, almost all sons of Visayan migrants, step out of obscurity into the limelight of bigtime boxing when they appear in the undercard of the fight featuring World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa against the former Mexican Pacific Coast flyweight champion German "Panteonero" Meraz on Feb. 21 in the historic Cebu Coliseum in the heart of Cebu City. Leading the pack is bantamweight Rolando Magbanua, 23, a former member of the Philippine national amateur boxing team who remains undefeated in 13 professional fights with 8 knockouts. He will be going up against another former Mexican Pacific Coast champion Jose Angel "Bocho" Cota for the WBO Oriental Bantamweight Interim title. Magbanua, called the "Smooth Operator" because of his fluid fighting style, is from the Christian frontier town of Pigcawayan, North Cotabato, some 20 kilometers away from Camp Darapanan, the main enclave of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) whose guerillas have attacked Magbanua's hometown several times in the past. Another outstanding bantamweight appearing in the card dubbed "Battle of the Best Bantamweights" is 23-year-old Jundy "Pretty Boy" Maraon who hails from Molave, Zamboanga del Sur and holds a record of 12 wins with 9 knockouts and 1 draw. He will challenge compatriot Jason Egera for the WBO Asia Pacific Bantamweight title. The third bantamweight is Glenn "The Rock" Porras, also 23, from M'lang, North Cotabato. Porras, an exciting fighter who is willing to trade punches in the center of the ring, will be going up against Thailand's Daothon Sithsoey in a 10-round non-title bout. Porras holds a record of 20 wins, 3 losses with 12 KOs. Other Mindanao fighters appearing in the card are: junior lightweight Glenn "Rapid" Gonzales, 23 (8 wins, 1 draw, 4 KOs), featherweight Lorenzo "Thunderbolt" Villanueva, 22 (12 wins, 0 loss, 12 KOs); junior flyweight Edrin "The Sting" Dapudong, 22 (18 wins, 2 losses, 12 KOs); miniflyweight Rommel "Little Assassin" Asenjo, 19 (11 wins, 2 losses, 8 KOs); flyweight Jerome "The Worm" Jabel, 20 (8 wins, 1 draw, 6 KOs) and junior bantamweight Richard "Lion Heart" Betos, 20 (7 wins, 1 loss, 3 KOs). North Cotabato Vice Governor Manny Pinol, who manages the Mindanao boxers along with his brothers, expressed confidence that Cebu boxing fans and those who will watch the fights on television will be entertained by the boys from the South. "I am sure Cebu boxing fans will appreciate the hidden talents that we have from Mindanao and this will be an opportunity for my boys to prove their worth," Vice Gov. Pinol said. Mindanao, next to the acknowledged home of Philippine boxing Cebu, has always been a rich source of boxing talents that include world champions like Rene Barrientos, Frank Cedeno, Rolando Navarrete and lately, the sensational Manny Pacquiao. The reason is very obvious. Most of these fighters are descendants of families who moved out of their ancestral lands in the Visayas to escape from poverty and search for their fortunes in the resource-rich island of the Southern Philippines. Magbanua and Porras trace their roots to Iloilo while Maraon's family came from Macrohon, Leyte. The father of the raw but powerful Lorenzo Villanueva (12 wins, 0 loss, 12 KOs) is a Cebuano while all the other fighters, except for Betos who is a Camayo from Surigao del Sur, have Ilonggo parentage. "This is some sort of a coming home for these children of Visayan migrants. I am sure, it will be a happy homecoming," Vice Gov. Pinol said. Top photo: Jundy 'Pretty Boy' Maraon (L) works out with veteran trainer Nonito Donaire Sr Tuesday at the Cebu Coliseum in preparation for Saturday's fight.  |
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