MANILA, Philippines – Not since world junior lightweight champion Flash Elorde battled world lightweight titlist Carlos Ortiz at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in 1964 has the Philippines hosted another showdown between two reigning world rulers. After a wait of nearly 50 years, ALA Promotions is staging the second ?war of ages? pitting two world champions at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu city on March 2 with Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera gracing the event as special guest at ringside.
WBO lightflyweight king Donnie Nietes stakes his crown against WBO minimumweight titleholder Moises Fuentes of Mexico in a 12-round bout to mark only the country?s second hosting of a duel between two ruling world champions. It will be Nietes? second defense of the crown he wrested from Mexico?s Ramon Garcia in Bacolod City in October 2011. Fuentes is managed by Jorge Barrera whose fabled brother Marco Antonio lost twice to Manny Pacquiao and fought Erik Morales in a monumental trilogy.
ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer yesterday called the historic fight a can?t-miss proposition. ?I would like to invite everyone to watch the fight either live at the Waterfront Cebu on March 2 or on ABS-CBN Channel 2 TV at 10:15 a.m. on March 3,? said Aldeguer. ?This is a fight you shouldn?t miss as seldom that it happens in the Philippines that a world champion will be fighting another world champion. Donnie is also trying to reestablish his claim as the second longest reigning Filipino world champion next to the great Flash Elorde.?
Elorde ruled as world junior lightweight champion for seven years from 1960 to 1967. Nietes captured the WBO miniumweight crown in 2007 and after four successful defenses, relinquished the throne to claim the WBO lightflyweight diadem in 2011. Nietes has been a world champion the last six years. In contrast, Pacquiao?s world championship streak extended to four years from when he won the WBC superfeatherweight title in 2008 to when he lost the WBO welterweight belt to Timothy Bradley last June.
Fuentes and his traveling party arrived in Manila last Thursday night and took the 5 p.m. flight to Cebu the next day. He came with Jorge Barrera, trainers Aaron Dominguez and Genaro Segura and sparring partner Martin Tecuapetla who has compiled a 10-3-1 record, with 7 KOs, since turning pro three years ago. Marco Antonio Barrera will land in Cebu on Thursday from Tokyo.
?Donnie is very confident of retaining his belt,? said Aldeguer. ?He?s doing very well and has trained really hard as he is aware that this could be toughest fight. He has sparred approximately 138 rounds.? Sportshub ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1
WBO Asia Pacific chairman, WBO International president and WBO vice president Leon Panoncillo, a Hawaiian of Filipino descent now living in Thailand, will act as supervisor for the title match. Referee will be Jack Reiss of Valencia, California. WBO president Francisco Valcarcel of Puerto Rico assigned Adalaide Byrd of Las Vegas, Pat Russell of California and Filipino lawyer Danrex Tapdasan as judges. The foreign officials are scheduled to arrive in Cebu on Thursday.
The undercard will feature unbeaten Bacolod City prospect Genesis Servania against Indonesia?s Angky Angkotta and veteran slugger Jimrex Jaca against Thailand?s Rachamongkol Sor Ploenchit.
?We think Servania is going to be the next big name in Philippine boxing,? said Aldeguer. ?He?s up against Angkotta, the only fighter to beat Donnie. Angkotta gave Jorge Arce a tough fight and almost knocked him out in the fourth round of their WBO bantamweight title fight in 2011. This will be the next toughest fight for Servania after he knocked out Genaro Garcia who has fought and beaten some of the best including Rafael Marquez.?
Servania, 21, has a 19-0 record, with 6 KOs. His last five victims were foreigners ? Mexicans Jorge Pazos, Garcia, Marcos Cardenas and Gerson Guerrero and Kenyan Nick Otieno. He will defend his WBO Asia Pacific superbantamweight title against Angkotta in a 12-rounder. Servania also holds the WBC International Silver superbantamweight belt. Angkotta, 31, totes a 26-8-1 record, with 14 KOs, and has beaten a slew of highly touted Filipinos including Nietes, Rocky Fuentes (KO1), Sonny Boy Jaro, Joma Gamboa, Marvin Tampus and Federico Catubay. The Indonesian has fought Arce twice and Fernando Montiel once.
Jaca, 29, was signed to a contract by ALA last year. He has won his last eight outings, seven inside the distance, to raise his record to 36-6-3, with 20 KOs. In 2006, Jaca faced Juan Manuel Marquez in Texas. Rachamongkol, 29, is the former WBC International featherweight and WBC Asia Boxing Council superbantamweight champion. In 2009, he stopped In Suk Song in the sixth round to claim the WBC International featherweight crown in Osan City. His record is 13-4, with 5 KOs.
