International promoter Sammy Gello-ani of SGG Sports Promotions and Mr. Gabby Lopez of giant television network ABS-CBN yesterday sealed the deal for the coverage of the February 24 ‘Moment of Truth’ card in Cebu City, Philippines.
Gello-ani, who is co-promoting the event with Oscar De la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, visited Lopez at the latter’s offices in Quezon City.
ABS-CBN and its international arm TFC will cover the event, which features WBO superfly king Fernando Montiel of Mexico defending his title against Filipino challenger Z ‘The Dream’ Gorres.
In the co-feature, undefeated Rey ‘Boom Boom’ Bautista goes up against Colombia’s Feider Viloria for the vacant WBO Intercontinental superbantam crown.
The third 12-rounder pits WBO Asia Pacific super-featherweight king Simson Butar-Butar defending against GBP fighter Jimrex Jaca, who is managed by Wakee Salud.
ELORDE FACES BUTUAN FIGHTER FEB. 24
Juan Martin ‘Bai’ Elorde, the grandson of Flash Elorde, will take on fellow newcomer Joseph Mateo in a four-round bout on February 24 underneath the Z Gorres-Fernando Montiel showdown.
Mateo of Butuan City will have a tough task ahead against the former amateur standout Elorde, who was only two years old when the Grand Old Man passed away following an illness.
The 22-year-old Bai had graduated from De La Salle-St. Benilde with a course in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management (HRIM).
Bai is the son of well-known promoters Johnny and Liza Elorde, who are currently in Cebu finalizing details for next month’s Elorde Sports Awards to be held here.
Bai competed and won gold medal during the 2004 National Open in Iriga City and took a silver medal finish in last year?s edition in Lanao del Norte.
BATAWANG BATTLES ‘THE COBRA’ ON FEB. 24
Dynamite-fisted Bert Batawang of the SGG Stable has been given the chance to showcase his punching power when he takes on Indonesian jaw-cracker Sofyan Efendi in an 8-round brawl underneath the Z Gorres-Fernando Montiel ‘Moment of Truth’ card on February 24 at the Cebu City Sports Complex.
The event takes place on the day Cebu City celebrates its Charter Day anniversary, which will be headed by Mayor Tomas Osmena.
Batawang cannot afford to lose against Efendi, as he is already scheduled to take on WBO junior fly boss Hugo Cazares at the ‘World Cup’ sometime later this year.
Efendi, known as ‘The Cobra’ in Indonesia in obvious reference to his venomous punches, holds an impressive record of 16 wins, 2 losses with 15 knockout victories which should guarantee an all-out war with Batawang, considered by some as the world’s hardest-punching junior flyweight.
Batawang is coming off a sensational first-round knockout over Pingping Tepura last January 21, and has vowed to inflict some pain on Efendi when they cross paths.
“If he is the only man who stands in between me and the WBO opportunity, then he is a dead man walking,” Batawang vowed.
The February 24 card, promoted by top Filipino impresario Sammy ‘Don King’ Gello-ani, boasts of a high-profile line-up of fighters seeing action against foreign opponents.
Rey ‘Boom Boom’ Bautista goes up against Feider Viloria of Colombia, while Jimrex Jaca battles Indonesian Simson Butar-Butar in the third 12-round match-up of the evening.
