Unbeaten WBO Asia-Pacific minimumweight champion Milan Melindo of Cagayan de Oro will join Rey (Boom Boom) Bautista, A. J. Banal and Michael Domingo in the blockbuster Araneta Coliseum card on Dec. 2, it was announced by promoter Noli Eala yesterday.
Eala said Melindo?s foreign opponent will be known next week and assured he won?t be a patsy.
?We?re excited that Melindo will fight in the undercard,? said Eala. ?He?s a future world champion and we want the fans to see what he can do in the ring. We?re not looking for an easy opponent. We?re looking for someone who can put Melindo to the test.?
Melindo, 19, has a 13-0 record, with four KOs, and his last two bouts ended inside the distance as he victimized Ariel Tadena and Nuapayak Sakkririn, both in the fourth round. He turned pro in 2005 and has beaten the likes of veterans Felix Marfa, Alex Aroy and Michael Rodriguez.
Eala said preparations are underway to make the Big Dome card a memorable and historic event. Sponsors tickets are selling for P5,000 and special ringside seats for P2,500. General admission tickets are P100 each.
?We?re putting up a 15-foot inflatable outside the Araneta Coliseum and producing a four-part primer on ABC-5,? said the former PBA commissioner who heads Third Force Promotions. ?We?re tapping the Zippers made up of four sexy dancers, who were recently featured in Maxim Magazine, to promote the show on TV and live shows. They?ll be demonstrating the sport of zipping which combines playing with fire and something like baton-twirling. Our training day will be on Nov. 30 at the Mall of Asia and we?re arranging for another major site. We?re setting up a VIP section in the coliseum, transforming the area near the south entrance into a hospitality lounge where food and drinks will be served to special guests. We?re also inviting foreign celebrities.?
Eala said talks are ongoing with the US internet protocol company NetVision to air the fights live on video streaming.
?We?re starting the fights at about 10 a.m., now a habit for Filipino boxing fans who watch live satellite feeds from the US on Sunday mornings,? said Eala. ?That will allow us to tap the prime time market in the US. We estimate about 20,000 to 50,000 hits and if each subscriber pays just $5, we?re in for a nice windfall.?
Eala said negotiations are going on with Solar Sports to air the Nonito Donaire-Luis Maldonado fight for the IBF flyweight title in jumbo screens inside the Big Dome during a break in the card. Donaire?s title defense will be held in Connecticut.
Eala said he is arranging for a top-notch ring announcer for the show. Candidates are Jimmy Lennon Jr. and Patricia Rosario, known as the world?s most beautiful ring announcer.
?We?re producing a quality event,? said Eala. ?Even the fighters? call-ins will be unique with lots of lights and sounds. Most of all, we?ve got quality bouts. We want to show the world we can put up a first-class card in Manila and Filipino fans will support it.?
Bautista will headline the card, battling Mexico?s Antonio (Barrio) Meza in a comeback do-or-die match. Bautista, Banal and Domingo ? now training in Cebu ? will arrive in Manila on Nov. 27.
Eala disclosed that the consortium financing the Dec. 2 bill has been offered by international promoter Samson Lewkowicz to stage the IBF title eliminator between Z Gorres and Vic Darchinyan in Manila early next year.
The principal partners in the consortium are ABC-5 owner Tony Boy Cojuangco, banker Eric Tagle and Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Neri Lim.
Eala said Darchinyan is asking for a purse of $30,000 to $50,000 to fight Gorres here. He added that Bautista and Banal will be included in the card if it materializes.
?It will depend on how Boom Boom and A. J. perform on Dec. 2,? said Eala. ?If they win convincingly, we?ll put them in the undercard of Gorres? fight. We?ll try to do the show after Manny Pacquiao?s next fight which is tentatively set on March 15. But it?s very encouraging that our group has been tapped by Lewkowicz because of the professional way we?re handling the Dec. 2 card.?
