JAKARTA — Filipino Benjie Sorolla of the Marty Elorde Stable arrived in Jakarta last Monday confident of wresting the International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight world title from title-holder Muhammad Rachman when they clash on Saturday at the Indoor Tennis Senayan Stadium.
Sorolla landed in Indonesia with trainer Rolando Sangalang, said Liza Elorde, the wife of Flash Elorde’s son Johnny who arranged the fight.
Johnny and his brother Marty Elorde, who manages Sorolla, are expected to fly to Indonesia a day before the fight to provide moral support to the boxer.
Sorolla (21-10-3, 6 KO’s) who holds the WBO Inter-Continental Minimumweight Title, is expected to go all out in his first world-title bid, and plans to avenge a unanimous decision loss to the same Rachman in 2002.
The 33-year-old Rachman (60-5-5, 30 KO’s) had won the IBF title with a split decision verdict over Daniel Reyes in 2004, and has so far defended it twice against Thailand’s Fahlan Sakreerin and Mexico’s Omar Soto.
There will be no Philippine television coverage for this fight, as Sorolla is given a close-to-nil chance of unseating the reigning champion, although a major upset will most likely send television outfits battling out each other for the right to air the bout.
