Mangubat, 27, said it’s a chance of a lifetime and he’s worked hard to earn it. Since turning pro in 1994, the Davao del Norte slugger has brawled his way to a 31-16-11 record with 16 KOs. At first blush, the record doesn’t look impressive. But when you realize that eight of the 16 defeats came on hostile soil, it doesn’t seem so bad.
Losing by hometown decision is something Mangubat has learned to live with in campaigning for dollars overseas. Hazards of the trade.
But in the biggest fight of his career, Mangubat said he won’t be robbed of the title by biased judges. It’s either he puts Pongsaklek to sleep or the Thai puts him to sleep. No middle ground.
"Patay kung patay,"Mangubat said before leaving for Thailand last Saturday. "Gagawin ko ang lahat makabalik sa bansa ang korona. Ito’y
para sa bansa at sa pamilya ko–ang aking maybahay at ang aming anak."
Mangubat vowed to press Pongsaklek from the opening bell. He said he won’t give the Thai a chance to set up or even to breathe. He’ll attack without letup until Pongsaklek falls. His fight plan isn’t complicated. Mangubat will pounce on Pongsaklek like a tiger on the prowl for prey.
The protagonists have met twice before. In 1996, Mangubat said he flew to Bangkok to face Pongsaklek without training. The offer came at short notice–four days–and Gerry Garcia, his manager then, didn’t waste the opportunity to pick up some greenbacks. The result was disastrous. Mangubat went down twice and was stopped in three.
In a rematch three years later, Mangubat insisted Pongsaklek was on queer street when suddenly, the referee cut the fight short in the eighth round. It was scheduled for 10. Without consulting the judges, the referee raised Pongsaklek’s arm in triumph and declared him the winner on points.
Mangubat said he was sure Pongsaklek wouldn’t survive up to the 10th round and obviously, the Thai referee saw that, too. So ending the fight in the eighth was almost like being saved by the bell.
It took four years for Mangubat to arrange a third meeting. Now comes the opportunity for revenge. Pongsaklek probably wouldn’t have agreed to stake his crown against Mangubat if the Filipino didn’t lose his last outing to Masaka Kawabata in Hyogo-Ken, Japan, last February.
Mangubat’s Japanese manager Yuki Murayama protested the loss and wrote WBC president Jose Sulaiman appealing not to demote his boy in the ratings. Sulaiman did even better. He approved Pongsaklek’s seventh title defense against Mangubat.
Mangubat’s trainer Erbito Salavarria said he’s confident of victory. He’s worked the corners of two Filipino world challengers previously and they failed miserably. In 1999, Salavarria accompanied Reynante Jamili to Tijuana where the fighter was halted by Erik Morales in six in a WBC superbantamweight title bout. And last year, he took Tiger Ari to South Africa only for the Binan veteran to lose to Cassius Bayoli on a knockout, also in six, in an International Boxing Organization (IBO) superfeatherweight championship match.
Salavarria said Mangubat has trained long and hard for Pongsaklek. "Handang handa na si Randy," added Salavarria who won the first of two world flyweight titles on a second round stoppage of Chartchai Chionoi in Bangkok in 1970. "Kung anong ginawa ko noong 1970, ‘yan din ang gagawin ni Randy kay Pongsaklek."
Murayama, a freelance photojournalist who lives in Manila with his Filipina wife and their daughter, said Mangubat will fight like Manny Pacquiao in his bid for fame and fortune.
"Pongsaklek is perfect for Randy," said Murayama. "He doesn’t back off. He’s a fighter just like Randy. It will be a collision course and the stronger fighter will survive. I know in the end, Randy will win."
On Friday, Mangubat will attempt to become the third reigning Filipino world champion after Pacquiao and Noel Tunacao. Pongsaklek wrested the WBC crown from a Filipino, Malcolm Tunacao, via a first round knockout in 2001 and has since repulsed six challengers. Mangubat said Pongsaklek’s time to go has come.