| |
|
MELLIGEN WILL STAY WITH TOP RANK AFTER SMASHING WIN
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 15 Feb 2010
Filipino welterweight Mark Jason Melligen knew his fight against previously undefeated American Raymond Gatica of Austin, Texas would decide whether he would remain in the fold of Top Rank promoter Bob Arum or would have to shop around for someone else to promote his future fights.
That’s because Arum was visibly upset over Melligen’s split decision loss to Michel Rosales last November and gave him one last chance to prove he deserved to be in the Top Rank roster of Filipino fighters.
Melligen realized the crucial nature of his fight against Gatica who had a record of 11-0 with 6 knockouts and got to work early, throwing more punches than he did against Rosales and used a vicious left to work the body of Gatica from the opening bell.
Melligen rocked Gatica with a left hook to the side of the head in round two and continued to hurt the Texan with some solid body shots in rounds three and four.
A looping left following a flurry of punches dropped Gatica for the first time in round five before Melligen, egged on by a predominantly pro-Filipino crowd cracked him again in round six and sent him to the canvas for a second time.
Melligen whose main drawback appears to be the lack of a killer instinct suddenly found the nerve to hammer Gatica and stagger him once again before referee Kenny Bayless stepped in to call a halt at 2:36 of the sixth round.
Arum told us later that although he missed the fight since he was waiting to check on his prized possession Manny Pacquiao’s arrival, all the reports he received from his people confirmed that Melligen looked terrific, thereby sealing his continued stay with Top Rank.
With the win Melligen moved to 17-2 with 13 knockouts while Gatica who suffered his first setback dropped to 11-1 with 6 knockouts.
Top photo: Mark Jason Melligen (L) lands a punch to the head of rival Raymond Gatica during their fight Saturday night at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, NV. Photo by Dr Ed de la Vega.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
DAZN and Top Rank announce a landmark multi-year media rights deal bringing elite events and a storied archive to DAZN users worldwide
, Thu, 19 Mar 2026Sampson Boxing Signs Top Junior Lightweight Contender Charly Suarez to a Promotional Contract
, Thu, 19 Mar 2026THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 17 MARCH 2026: Collazo Stops Haro; Fundora KO Ruiz; Barboza Outpoints Sims; Cacace UD Dickens
By Eric Armit, , Wed, 18 Mar 2026Tapales Near Peak Form Ahead of April 3 Tokyo Showdown with Oguni
, Wed, 18 Mar 2026MILLER AND PERO CLASH IN HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN IN LAS VEGAS ON APRIL 25
, Wed, 18 Mar 2026Middleweight Championship Battle Between (C) Khamzat Chimaev and (#3) Sean Strickland Headlines UFC® 328 at Prudential Center Live on Paramount+
, Wed, 18 Mar 2026Sampson Lewkowicz & TM Boxing Sign Undefeated Mexican Prospect José Ángel Guerrero to Co-Promotional Deal
, Wed, 18 Mar 202612-Time World Champion & Hall of Famer James Toney Confirmed for Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Saturday May 2, in Las Vegas
, Wed, 18 Mar 2026Five stitches for Donaire’s cut
By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 17 Mar 2026Roberto Gomez Training Camp Notes
, Tue, 17 Mar 2026Esneth Domingo Trains at the Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles Ahead of His US Debut
, Tue, 17 Mar 2026Tatay Digong Birthday Run on March 28
By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 17 Mar 202612-0 prospect Marco Romero to headline This Friday in Independence, Missouri
, Tue, 17 Mar 2026700 athletes on March 21-22 at UM
By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 17 Mar 2026United States Earns Four Gold Medals on Final Day of 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup
, Mon, 16 Mar 2026Mexico wins 2 bronze medals at World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok
By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Mon, 16 Mar 2026Arnold Barboza Jr. Shines in Welterweight Debut, Defeats Kenneth Sims Jr. to Claim Wbo Global Welterweight Title
, Sun, 15 Mar 2026WBC top contender Canoy returns to Davao with Unanimous Decision Victory
, Sun, 15 Mar 2026John Randall Peralta: The Future of the Philippine Chess
By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 15 Mar 2026Alvin “Felemon” Dologuin Claims Win in Brico Santig’s Show in Thailand (PHOTOS)
, Sun, 15 Mar 2026Donaire's Yokohama Showdown: Can our Filipino Flash Outshine the Rising Sun? (WEIGH-IN PHOTOS)
By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 15 Mar 2026USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team Wins Five of Eight Bouts on Day Six
, Sun, 15 Mar 2026Shai Gilgeous-Alexander surpasses Chamberlain's record of 127 consecutive NBA games with 20 points or more
By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sun, 15 Mar 2026World-Ranked Light Heavyweight Najee Lopez Stops Mexican Terminator Manuel Gallego in Eight Classic Rounds in Main Event of ProBoxTV’s ‘The Contender Series’
, Sat, 14 Mar 2026Weigh-in from Highland Boxing in Bangkok, Thailand; Dologuin in Action (WEIGH-IN PHOTOS)
, Sat, 14 Mar 2026 |
|
|
|
|
|
