Salud appeals to US Embassy for Jaca

Unless the US Embassy issues a visa for his travel, Philippine superfeatherweight boxing champion Jimrex Jaca won’t be able to face Ivan Valle of Mexico in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales rematch at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Jan. 21.

Jaca, 22, appeared before a US consul for an interview at the Embassy on Roxas Boulevard last Thursday but his application for a B-1 business visa was denied. He was advised to apply for a P-1 or O-1 visa instead.

Jaca’s manager Rex (Wakee) Salud said he was told by US immigration lawyer Richard Wilner to reapply because professional athletes, such as golfers or auto racers, who receive no salary or payment other than prize money for participating in a tournament or sporting event are eligible for a B-1 visa.

Salud said the proximity of the fight date will not allow him to secure a petition from Top Rank, the Las Vegas promoter, for a P-1 or O-1 visa. The processing for such a petition will take at least 14 working days, according to Salud who said a P-1 visa is for individual athlete or athletes in a team sport and an O-1 visa is for a professional entertainer.

Salud said Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler signed a letter inviting Jaca to fight in an eight-rounder in the Pacquiao-Morales undercard. The letter was dated last Dec. 12. Salud said the letter is proof that Jaca’s trip to the US has legitimate business basis.

It was Pacquiao himself who asked his manager Shelly Finkel and promoter Gary Show to book a fight for Jaca in Las Vegas through Top Rank boss Bob Arum.

Salud said he is grateful to Pacquiao for giving another Filipino fighter a break to showcase his skills before a global TV audience.

"We’re running out of time," said Salud. "Our plan was for Jaca to arrive in the US early next week to acclimatize. It’s his first trip outside Asia and the biggest break in his career."

Salud said he is appealing to the US Embassy to issue a visa for Jaca.

"I can assure the Embassy that Jaca will not stay in the US," said Salud. "I will personally bring him back to Manila after the fight. I’ll try to book him on the same flight back with Manny."

Jaca is a three-time Philippine champion and once held the Oriental superbantamweight title. The 5-7 southpaw from Sibulan, Negros Oriental, has a 25-1-1 record, with 11 KOs. His only setback was a seventh round knockout loss to Yasuo Kunimi in Kanazawa, Japan, the day after he failed to make the 122-pound limit and was stripped of his Oriental crown in May 2004.

Valle, 25, is a hard-hitting slugger whose record is 23-5-1, with 19 KOs. Of his wins by KO, 10 came in one or two rounds, indicating he’s a strong starter. Valle is known as Relampago or lightning.

To prepare for Valle, Jaca sparred at least 20 rounds with World Boxing Council featherweight champion In Jin Chi of South Korea in Cebu. He also sparred with World Boxing Organization Asia-Pacific superfeatherweight titleholder Caesar Amonsot of Tagbilaran City.

Jaca said he’s excited to fight in Las Vegas but won’t be awed by the glitz. He has fought thrice on hostile soil in Japan and was never intimidated. Mexicans don’t scare him, he continued, and he’s not fazed by Valle’s knockout record. The only thing that scares him is not being able to make the weight for a fight.

"Kung kidlat si Valle, ako si kulog," said Jaca. "Pareho lang kaming tao sa loob ng ring. Hindi ako natatakot sa kanya. Ibibigay ko ang lahat upang manalo. Pangarap ko ay maging world champion kagaya ni Manny."

Jaca said he is dedicating his Las Vegas debut, assuming he is issued a visa, to his wife Brenda Lynn and their two-year-old daughter Tricia.

The youngest of five children, Jaca finished only up to Grade 6 in Sibulan. His father Angelito died when he was eight. His mother Filomena has no means of livelihood. An uncle taught him how to box and when he was 11, he left home to fight in provincial amateur shows and carnivals. When he was 14, Jaca spent a year living with battle-scarred soldiers in a desolate military camp and the toughening experience prepared him for a life of hardship.

Determined to make a living from boxing as his way out of poverty, Jaca took a boat to Cebu to find his fortune when he was 16. He eventually met up with Salud, who became his manager, and turned pro on his 17th birthday in 2000.