AFTER Top Rank Promotions gave him a break to fight in Denver, Colorado, ALA boy Mark Jason Melligen will be having his US debut match in an eight-round battle against US-based Mexican Gerardo Cesar Prieto today.
Melligen, who was sent to the US along with fellow ALA boy Michael Domingo last year, will have a chance to showcase his talent and impress Bob Arum?s Top Rank Promotions to land him bigger fights in the future.
ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told Sun.Star Cebu that if Melligen performs impressively against Prieto, he will be booked on a fight card that will showcase young fighters on the eve of the anticipated Pacquiao-Hatton clash in Las Vegas.
?Assuming he wins this fight, Top Rank offered him a fight on May 1, which will feature up-and-coming young prospects,? said Aldeguer.
Lucrative
Aldeguer said Melligen, who trains at the Roger Mayweather?s Gym with Tony Martin, will be based in the US for now because of the wide array of opponents in his weight category.
?Melligen is one of the skilled fighters in the gym. He belongs there in the States. I hope he lives up to his expectations,? said Aldeguer. ?Our direction for Melligen is for him to campaign in the States, there?s no point for him fighting here because he has a hard time finding opponents because of his weight division. We hope he does well because there will be bigger things for him in the States,? he added.
Record
Melligen has a professional boxing slate of 12 wins and a loss with nine stoppages while the 30-year-old Prieto has six victories, five losses and a draw.
Melligen has won his last six matches since being stopped by Korean Yong Sung Kim, while Prieto only won one of his two matches last year.
Prieto has fought World Boxing Council welterweight champion Andre Berto, but lost to the undefeated world champion via third round knockout in 2006.
