Milan Melindo is one of the most exciting prospects in the Philippines. The 24 year old is the reigning WBO international flyweight champion and has won 27 fights out of 27 since turning pro in 2005.
He is one of the stars of the ALA Boxing Gym which also boasts AJ Banal, Rey Bautista and Genesis Servania in its stable. After putting Jesus Geles on the canvas three times in the first round to win the WBO belt in his last fight he is getting ready to defend it for the first time at Pinoy Pride 16 in Cebu City next month.
He is in action on September 22nd against Colombian KO artist Jean Piero Perez who is a former WBA flyweight champion who is still ranked higher than Melindo by the WBA. His record stands at 19-4-1 with 14 of his wins coming by way of KO.
Speaking at the Pinoy Pride 16 press conference Melindo said he had seen some footage on Perez and was expecting a tough fight,
?He?s a good boxer, a counter puncher, if you punch him he will punch you. Not too much power but he is busy. Maybe his weakness is his stomach, maybe I can win by stoppage but most important for me is to entertain the crowd.?
After going the distance regularly at the start of his professional career Melindo has been finishing fights of late and has knocked out five of his last six opponents. He believes that as he has moved up in weight his punching power has increased,
?When I turned pro I was fighting at 105 lbs but now I fight at 112 lbs and I think I have grown more muscle and become more powerful as I have got bigger.?
Melindo does feel he has found a home at flyweight and intends to stick around, dominate the division and attempt to seal his spot in the boxing annals,
?I weigh about 122 lbs normally and I plan to stay at 112 lbs and be a world champion at this weight.?
He already has a title which was secured when he stopped Jesus Geles, putting the Mexican down three times in the first round of their fight at Pinoy Pride 14. Although Melindo was happy to walk away with the belt he was disappointed not to be able to put on more of a show for the fans,
?I would like to have fought for longer because I like to entertain the crowd, that is my style, but I landed a lucky punch in round one.?
So far Milendo?s professional career has been stellar and he boasts one of the best records in Asia but this success was built on the back of 11 years of amateur experience, as he began to compete at a very early age,
?My father was a bit of a street figther and when I was 6 he brought me a pair of gloves and boxing has been my hobby ever since. I had my first amateur boxing match when I was 6 years old and I have had around 600 amateur fights, I do not know how many I won as I did not keep count.?
At the age of 17 he moved from his hometown of Cagayan de Oro to Cebu City in order to train at the legendary ALA Boxing Gym. He has been based there ever since although in the future it is possible he might be sent to the US in future in order to get a greater variety of sparring.
The Pinoy Pride promotion is broadcast on ABS-CBN and the national rankings have all of the last five shows topping the charts as the most viewed event of the day. Promoter Michael Aldeguer believes that competitive matchmaking has been at the heart of this success and feels the fight between Melindo and Perez typifies this approach,
?Our plan is for Milan Melindo to fight for a world title next year and people ask us ?why risk giving Milan this fight (against Perez) now?? but because of Pinoy Pride and our commitment to the public we wanted to bring a former world champion and a top five fighter to the Philippines. We want to make our fights entertaining, it?s what Pinoy Pride is all about, we want to make quality fights. Why go to Las Vegas when you can watch world class boxing here in the Philippines??
Also on the card at Pinoy Pride 16 will be another flyweight fight between Melindo?s ALA team mate Rocky Fuentes and Korea?s Myung Ho Lee. Fuentes, 26, has won 13 straight fights and like Melindo is working his way towards a shot at a world title.
Pinoy Pride 16 is taking place at the Cebu Waterfront Hotel on September 22nd. For more information visit: www.alaboxing.com
