BRIAN Viloria (36-5, 22 Kos) circa 2005 when he made short work of Mexican Eric Ortiz, eviscerating him in the very first round, was in prime consideration to be the country?s next flagship fighter.
After all,he possessed concussive power in that right hand, the kind of power that placed opponents in a coma, and could end fights with one punch.
But then he showed chinks in his armor, and his primary weakness was stamina, or lack thereof. He would perform well in the first half against top- tier opponents but would gas out in the championship rounds.
This infirmity resulted in mixed results-wins against Ulisses Solis , Giovanni Segura, Jesus Iribe, Omar Soto and heartbreaking losses to Omar Nino Romero, Carlos Tamarra, Juan Francisco Estrada.
In the process, while Brian became a 4? time world champion and was able to fight the biggest names in his division, his inconsistency hampered his potential for greatness.
He had one last stab at glory in his last fight against current pound-for-pound king Roman Gonzales. But he fell short and lost via stoppage in the 9th round.
At age 35, the window is fast closing for Brian. He?s had a great Hall of Fame career, but he?s too old to be handed the Pacquiao torch.
MILAN MELINDO (33-2, 12 Kos) ?El Metodico? is another talented fighter who has never reached and fulfilled his potential.
He has decent power in both hands, counter-punches beautifully, and is never short on stamina.
However, he seems to have problems with certain types of fighters, style ?wise and as luck would have it, his attempts to become a boxing world champion have been unsuccessful so far.
At age 27, he?s still relatively young, but he?s already had two attempts 2 world championship fights.
Maybe the third time?s the charm?
JOHNREIL CASIMERO (21-3, 13 Kos) In terms of talent and potential, he?s probably the best prospect of becoming the country?s next flagship fighter.
Fast, powerful and skilled, ?Quadro Alas? weakness? has been consistency and weight problems.
He?s already won a world title once but in his last fight, he had difficulty with Amnat Ruenroeng?s awkward style when they fought for the IBF flyweight crown and he lost by a decision.
This Ormoc City native has so much to offer still, and I?m banking that the prolific duo of Sampson Lewkowicz and Sammy Gelloani will be able to provide the necessary support to guide him toward another crown.
KOVALEV BRUTALIZES PASCAL. Last Sunday, Sergey Kovalev served notice that 2016 could be his year by stopping former world champion Jean Pascal in 7 one-sided rounds.
Aptly nicknamed ? Krusher,? Kovalev brutalized Pascal , throwing 412 punches and landing 165 while Pascal threw only a paltry 108, landing 30.
The undefeated Kovalev holds the WBO, WBA and IBF light heavyweight titles and is seemingly on his way to a potential super fight with Andre Ward who has recently moved up to the light heavy division.
LAST ROUNDS. Are on Subzero beauties, Cora Coronado Seno and Atty. Pam Condat, who are celebrating their birthdays this week. Cheers! ([email protected])
