DESPITE his tremendous punching power, Filipino mandatory challenger Rodel Mayol is listed as the underdog against defending World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight champion Eagle Kyowa on May 6 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
According to the online betting station sportsbook.com, Mayol is +300, while Kyowa, a native Thai residing in Japan, is -400 with a wager of 0 for Mayol winning 0 and a bet of 0 on Kyowa getting 0 in return.
This will be Mayol’s first crack at a world title and local ringsiders are giving him a strong chance of dethroning the durable Kyowa, whose real name is Den Jalaphan. Mayol, unbeaten with a 22-0 win-loss slate with 17 knockouts, earned the title shot early this year when he knocked out Lorenzo Trejo of Mexico in four rounds in a title eliminator staged in Cancun, Mexico.
A product of Tony Aldeguer’s extraordinary amateur program, Mayol is being managed by Japanese advertising executive Yasuo Matsuoka and Cebuana wife Gina. Mayol has been in Tokyo since last week and is raring to rumble with Kyowa.
The third man on the ring will be Vic Drakulich of the US, while the three judges are Chuck Hassett and Gale Van Ho, also of the US and Alejandro Rochin of Mexico. The fight supervisor will be Chuck Williams also of the US.
Meanwhile, US boxing agent Mike Koncz, responsible for bringing Bobby Pacquiao and other topnotch Filipino fighters, revealed that Mayol is already guaranteed to debut on US soil in the event he becomes the new WBC 105-lb king.
“I have already talked with a major promotional outfit here in the States and they’ve shown great interest in having Mayol fight here,” Konz said. “I am confident that Mayol can get the job done.”
