At the moment, there are three reigning Filipino world boxing champions ? WBO welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao, WBO lightflyweight king Donnie Nietes and IBO lightflyweight ruler Rey Loreto. If you include IBA superflyweight titleholder Bruno Escalante, that makes four. The IBA, however, is lightly regarded and sanctions championship bouts only up to 10 rounds. Escalante, 26, hasn?t fought in a year since outpointing Victor Ruiz in the second defense of his crown in Brooks, California.
Tomorrow night (Sunday morning, Manila time), unbeaten knockout artist Richard Claveras of Silay City, Negros Occidental, attempts to join the elite circle of Filipino world champions when he battles WBC lightflyweight titlist Pedro Guevara in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. Claveras, 25, boasts a record of 12-0-2, with 12 KOs including eight in the first round. It?s Claveras? first overseas outing and he faces Guevara in his hometown.
In Claveras? most recent outing last January, he took only 37 seconds to dispose of Indonesia?s Demsi Manufoe to claim the WBC Asian Boxing Council lightflyweight crown in Mandaluyong. Claveras is ranked No. 14 by the WBC. Curiously, there are three Filipinos ranked higher ? No. 3 Jonathan Taconing, No. 4 Loreto and No. 10 Rene Patilano.
Taconing, 28, is ripe for a title crack. He?s won his last eight assignments, including a 10th round stoppage of former WBO champion Ramon Garcia Hirales in Mexico last Saturday. Taconing has a 21-2-1 record, including 18 KOs, and one of his losses was a technical decision to Kompayak Porpramook in a WBC lightflyweight title match in Thailand three years ago. Loreto, of course, is the IBO champion who?s coming off a sensational first round knockout win over Nkosinathi Joyi in South Africa last March. The IBO isn?t as prestigious as the WBC.
* * *
Guevara, 25, has an axe to grind against Filipinos because his only defeat was to Johnriel Casimero. He lost a split decision to Casimero in an IBF lightflyweight title match before his hometown fans in 2012. Guevara has since bounced back to win six in a row and last December, halted Akira Yaegashi in the seventh round to bag the vacant WBC 108-pound title in Tokyo. His record is 24-1-1 with 16 KOs. Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
No doubt, Guevara is out to redeem himself in front of his friends and family. The fighter known as Jibran hasn?t fought in Mazatlan since bowing to Casimero and now, gets the chance to avenge the setback by beating a Filipino. Referee for the fight is Jerry Cantu of California. The judges are Filipino Rey Danseco, Humberto Olivares of Mexico and Tom Taylor of California. Mexican Juan Carlos Pelayo is the WBC fight supervisor.
Danseco, 42, has worked a slew of world title fights since he was on the judges panel for the WBF superflyweight title fight between Gerry Pe?alosa and Bangsaen Sithpraprom at the PAGCOR Grand Theater in Para?aque in 2004. He has judged bouts involving Bernard Hopkins, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Saul Alvarez. In 2008, Danseco made history as the first Filipino judge ever to work a fight in Mexico. That was for the title eliminator between Omar (Ni?o) Romero and Juanito Rubillar.
Danseco, a graduate of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, was a sports journalist and TV commentator before concentrating on a career as a boxing judge. The Calauag, Quezon, native has migrated to the US and now lives in San Francisco. In 2012, he was named the WBC?s Judge of the Year. Danseco was also voted Judge of the Year thrice at the annual Elorde Awards Night.
* * *
One of Danseco?s all-time idols as a boxing judge is Bruce McTavish who is also a referee. ?He?s my inspiration,? Danseco said of McTavish. On April 24, Danseco will be a judge for the WBC supermiddleweight title fight between unbeaten defending champion Anthony Dirrell and Gambian challenger Badou Jack in Chicago. The other judges are Hubert Minn of Hawaii and Robert Hecko of Chicago. It?s a tribute to the Philippines that Danseco is assigned to work major world title fights.
Also on April 24, interim WBA lightflyweight champion and No. 1 contender Randy Petalcorin of Davao defends his title against No. 9 Ma Yi Ming in Beijing. The regular WBA titlist is Ryoichi Taguchi of Japan. It?s anomalous that the WBA recognizes two champions, regular and interim, without ordering a showdown. Taguchi will defend his crown against No. 15 Kwanthai Sithmorseng in Tokyo on May 6.
Petalcorin, 23, took the interim title via a seventh round stoppage of Panama?s Walter Tello in Shanghai last August. Before that fight, he scored two knockout wins in a row in Australia. Petalcorin is unbeaten in his last 12 bouts since 2010 and like Taconing, deserves a title shot.
