JAKARTA ? Former IBF minimumweight champion Muhammad Rachman is confident his experience will carry him to victory over unbeaten Cagayan de Oro fighter Milan Melindo when they face off at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu on Feb. 28 and his manager Martinez dos Santos guaranteed the other day a win by knockout.
Rachman, 37, is fighting outside his home country only for the second time in a career that started in 1993. His first overseas assignment ended in a draw with Yoddai Singchartchawal in Thailand in 1996.
But Dos Santos said Rachman, whose record is 62-6-5, with 31 KOs, isn?t worried.
?Melindo is a young man with no experience,? said Dos Santos, a journalist and TV boxing commentator from East Timor. ?Rachman has too much power for Melindo. It may be difficult for Rachman to win by decision because of the hometown factor but we?re not expecting the fight to go the distance. I guarantee Rachman will win and that means he?ll win by knockout.?
Melindo, 20, has a 17-0 mark, with five KOs. Although he is 17 years younger with 56 less bouts under his belt, Melindo appears to be ready for a veteran like Rachman. Last October, he was impressive in halting Tanzanian Juma Fundi in the third round to retain his WBO Asia Pacific 105-pound title. In his previous three bouts, Melindo outpointed Jack Amisa, Sofyan Efendi and Panama?s highly-regarded Carlos Melo. Both Amisa and Efendi are Rachman?s countrymen so his reputation is well known in Indonesian ring circles.
Dos Santos said how long Rachman will continue to fight is up to him.
?As long as he keeps winning, I think Rachman can go on fighting for two or three more years,? said Dos Santos. ?There are big plans for Rachman. Eventually, we want him to fight in the US and South Africa. But first, he?s got to take care of Melindo. Then, we want WBO minimumweight champion Donnie Nietes. We might also fight Pigmy Muangchayaphum of Thailand for the ABCO title in Singapore in May or June. So, for Rachman, losing to Melindo is not an option because there?s just too much at stake.?
Dos Santos said he has no videos of Melindo in action.
?From what we know, Melindo has no knockout power,? said Dos Santos pointing to the Filipino?s record of only five stoppages in 17 wins. ?We?re waiting for a video of Melindo but that?s not a concern. He?s a boxer, not a fighter. We?ve got a surprise waiting for Melindo. We?re keeping it a secret. Rachman isn?t scared of Melindo. One of Rachman?s sparmates, Efendi, lost to Melindo on points but keeps getting dropped during sparring. That?s an indication of how strong Rachman is and how weak Melindo is. Rachman?s right hand is a deadly weapon.?
Dos Santos said despite his age, Rachman will be fit for Melindo.
?This fight will be no problem for Rachman,? said Dos Santos. ?He?s training in Blitar, a four-hour car ride from Surabaya, and I?m in Jakarta but we speak on the phone every day. He?s about a kilo over the 105-pound limit now. He?s working on his stamina and power. We brought back his original trainer Alex Rabadeta who wasn?t in his corner when he lost the IBF title to (Florante) Condes.?
Accompanying Rachman to Cebu will be Dos Santos, Rabadeta and matchmaker Temuzin Rambing. The travelling party will arrive five days before the 10-round bout.
Since losing to Condes, Rachman has fought only once, winning over Filipino Edren Dapudong on points last June.
?Dapudong was a good challenge for Rachman,? said Dos Santos. ?It was a competitive fight. Although Rachman won by unanimous decision, the scores were close. It was a good test for Rachman who showed he still has what it takes to win a world title.?
Dos Santos said Rachman will be out to preserve his reputation as one of Indonesia?s legendary world champions.
?The greatest Indonesian fighter ever is Ellyas Pical who won the IBF superflyweight title in 1985 and reigned twice as champion,? said Dos Santos. ?After Pical comes Rachman who?ll keep his legendary status in mind when he fights Melindo.?
