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Philippines, 29 Mar 2026 |
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DAPUDONG TITLE DEFENSE PREPARATION IN FULL GEAR PhilBoxing.com Fri, 20 Aug 2010  Kidapawan City, Aug. 20 - Before the break of dawn every day, World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Flyweight champion Edrin "The Sting" Dapudong scales the foot of the scenic Mt. Apo, the country's highest mountain, to prepare for the first defense of the title he won via a first round knockout of former world No. 1 Jesus Jimenez in Mexico last June. He is now in the last phase of his hard training before he leaves for Los Angeles for the final preparation at the Fortune Gym owned by former Manny Pacquiao conditioning coach Justin Fortune in Hollywood for his Sept. 17 title fight against Mexican and North American Boxing Federation (NABF) flyweight champion Wilbert "Hurricane" Uicab in Cancun, Mexico. Under the watchful eyes of Braveheart Boxing Club chief trainer Noli Pinol, the preparation is more intense because the 24-year-old farmer's son, called the "Barefoot Boxing Prince" having started in the barefoot boxing program initiated by his uncle and manager former North Cotabato governor Manny Pinol, is aware that many boxing aficionados would be aching to know whether his victory over Jimenez was simply a fluke. "I know that many people are saying that I was just lucky to win against Jimenez," said the 5' 5" tall flyweight champion, a college student who is now ranked Number 3 Pound For Pound Boxer in the Philippines, after boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and Nonito Donaire. The situation is better now than when he fought Jimenez last June 19, where the Braveheart Boxing Club management led by Manny Pinol was informed of the fight with only two weeks left before the event in Tepic City, Nayarit Province in Mexico. Three of the 14 days prior to the fight were spent by Dapudong lining up for a transit visa at the US Embassy in Manila. Dapudong arrived in Tepic City in a pair of rubber slippers two days before the fight but he went on to floor the highly-ranked Jimenez twice in the first round to win the title, the first world boxing title for North Cotabato Province. This time, Dapudong has over two months of preparation and is accompanied in his morning runs by four other boxing prospects from the Braveheart Boxing Club - World Boxing Organization (WBO) Oriental Featherweight champion Lorenzo "Thunderbolt" Villanueva, 23 (18 wins, 17 KOs), WBO Oriental Miniflyweight Champion Rommel "Little Assassin" Asenjo, 21 (20 wins, 17 KOs, 2 losses), bantamweight Glenn "The Rock" Porras, 24 (24 wins, 16 KOs, 2 losses); and his main sparring partner junior featherweight Rolando "Smooth Operator" Magbanua, 25 (18 wins, 13 KOs, 1 loss). "Mas enjoy ako ngayon kasi marami akong kasama sa pagtakbo," said Dapudong who stays in the Braveheart Farm of Manny Pinol in Kidapawan City along with over a dozen boxing prospects from North Cotabato. And unlike the fight against Jimenez when he did not have an idea of his opponent's fighting style, Dapudong now is able to view a video of the fight featuring the challenger Uicab, a rugged slugger called the Hurricane. "This will be an interesting match up. Uicab loves to move forward and Edrin is an excellent counterpuncher. He is a better counterpuncher than an attacker," said Manny Pinol. "But the caveat here is the power of the Mexican champion. This is something that Edrin must watch out for because while he could take a punch, he could not allow Uicab to connect cleanly," he added. The former governor said he expects the fight to end in a knockout because of the power of both boxers. "Of course, we would like to be the one to score that knockout so that we will be able to establish the credibility of Edrin as a legitimate world champion," he added. The fight, promoted by Mexico's second biggest promotions company HG Boxing, will be carried live by ESPN.  |
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