Cebu fighter Pedro “Mayorga” Malco is all primed up to snatch the IBF Pan Pacific featherweight crown off the head of Bobby Pacquiao conqueror Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym, as he leaves for Bangkok tonight in time for his March 18 showdown with the Thai champ in Pattaya, Thailand.
The 24-year-old Malco departs at 11:15 tonight on board a Kuwait Airlines flight bound for Bangkok. He will be accompanied by ALA Gym trainer Dan Nietes, and will be met in Thailand by former benefactor Perry McNeely, who used to manage him under the JMP Boxing Club.
Malco, now fighting under SGG Stable of Sammy “Don King” Gello-ani, yesterday informed this writer that he has had more than 100 rounds of sparring in preparation for this fight, and he is leaving no stone unturned as he aims for nothing less than a knockout.
“I will spend all my energies and talent into this fight. God knows how much I prepared for this. I am going for a knockout,” said Malco, who will figure in his biggest fight to date. To prepare for this fight, Malco sparred against WBO Asia Pacific bantam champ Rey Bautista, RP no. 4 bantam Reman Salim among other fighters at the ALA Gym.
Boxing pundits in Cebu have given Malco a better than average chances of upsetting Rakkiatgym, as he has been preparing very hard even before the fight was made. Malco was originally booked to challenge Philippine bantam champ Joel Bauya before the IBF offer came.
Rakkiatgym (47-3, 30 KO’s), the same man who was knocked out by Manny Pacquiao in the opening round of their 2002 IBF fight in Davao City, recently redeemed himself with a ninth-round knockout win over Bobby Pacquiao last February 18 in Pattaya. However, boxing observers opined that Malco will have a bigger chance against Rakkiatgym, owing to the former’s devil-may-care, forward fighting style which is a must when you are fighting in a foreign territory like Thailand.
