Rodrigo vies for OPBF crown today

Philippine flyweight champ Edgar "Bombardero" Rodrigo will be the heavy underdog when he tackles OPBF 112-lb champ Noriyuki Komatsu today, but that will not deter him from snatching the crown when they clash in a 12-round title bout today at the Central Gym in Osaka, Japan.

The southpaw Rodrigo, a stocky puncher from General Santos City, hopes to become the country’s fifth OPBF titlist with a win over the unbeaten Japanese prodigy.

Rodrigo carries a 9-2-3 win-loss-draw card with 4 KO’s going into the fight, while Komatsu, the World Boxing Council No. 3 flyweight, sports an unblemished 17-0-5, eight by knockout. The bout against Rodrigo will be Komatsu’s fourth defense of the title he won over Jung-Oh Son in September 2002. In his first defense, he stopped Rolly Lunas in just two rounds.

"I will try my best to win the crown for the country," Rodrigo said moments before departing last Friday for Japan. The Philippine champ underwent some 92 rounds of rigorous sparring in preparation for Komatsu. Among those he had sparred against were Elderd Romero, Albert Cesa, Celso Danggod, and Dondon Jimenea.

However, all odds will be stacked against Rodrigo today owing to Japan’s biting cold conditions, which will most likely have a negative effect on him. The hometown crowd is also expected to work against Rodrigo’s campaign.

Another factor that may hamper Rodrigo is his relatively long layoff. He had not fought a tune-up bout prior to this titular challenge, his last ring stint having been in June 1 last year when he knocked out the popular Z Gorres in nine rounds in Makati City.