Espinosa seeks rare third title vs African

Luisito Espinosa shoots for a distinction no Filipino or Asian boxer has achieved or even attempted.

Come December, he will strike for a third world title in a third weight division in the third decade of his career.

He’ll go for it at the Luneta Grandstand in Rizal Park where he successfully defended his WBC world featherweight title twice against tough Mexican challengers.

Espinosa, now 36, targets this time the IBO junior lightweight title held by South African Cassius Baloyi. Baloyi, former IBU featherweight king, won all his first 26 bouts, 14 of them by KO until countryman Philip Ndou upset him in their battle for the IBU catchweight championship two years back.

The lean, rangy Espinosa is deep in training under American trainer Dee Pooler who feels confident about his fighter’s chances against Baloyi in their duel set Dec. 13.

Espinosa still has his Sunday punch. He finished off Mexican Juan Antonio Perez in just one round in his last fight held in April at the Oakland Coliseum. Pooler has also been impressed by Espinosa’s no-nonsense attitude in his daily workouts at his favorite gym, the Fairtex, in Daly City.

A tune-up meeting with a foe has been scheduled for Espinosa late in October and he is expected to be in Manila by the second or third week of November.

Espinosa stepped into world prominence as a bantamweight, knocking out Thai idol Khaokor Galaxy in the first round Oct. 19, 1989 to win the WBA bantamweight crown to the dismay of a packed highly partisan crowd in Bangkok. He was managed then by Hermie Rivera, father of his current chief handler Noel Rivera.

Espinosa lost his bantamweight title on Oct. 19, 1991 to Venezuelan Israel Contreras at the Araneta Coliseum mainly because of his difficulty in making the weight limit.

After his sorry loss to the Venezuelan, the Filipino champion moved a step up the ladder. In 1996, he won the WBX featherweight title from Mexican Manuel Medina at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

In 1999 in El Paso, Texas, Espinosa lost his world featherweight crown to Mexican Cesar Sotto in a disputed decision. The fight was referred to after as the greatest robbery ever in American West.

In slambang bouts billed the Battle of Manila Bay 1 and II at the Luneta Grandstand, Espinosa successfully defended his featherweight title twice. He had a comfortable unanimous decision in his first title against Cesar Sotto. And in a rematch with Medina, he won by technical decision. He was ahead on points when the referee stopped the bout in the eighth round because of ugly cuts Espinosa suffered from Medina’s repeated headbutting.

Then President Fidel Ramos was prominent in the huge turnouts for both open air fights at the Luneta Grandstand.

Espinosa’s last fight in the Philippines was in Koronadal, Cotabato on Dec. 6, 1997 when he stopped Carlos Rios in six rounds. Too bad he never received his US$150,000 purse due him. A case has been filed but remains unacted upon in the Manila court of RTC Judge Rosario Cruz.