Watch out for Larios

It’s supposed to be a tune-fight for Manny Pacquiao but former World Boxing Council (WBC) superbantamweight champion Oscar Larios hardly looks like a tune-up opponent.

In fact, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said no less than Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum described as "crazy" the decision to bring in Larios for the Araneta Coliseum bout on July 2. Arum reportedly told Roach that Larios is too tough and too dangerous an opponent for a tune-up match.

But Pacquiao wouldn’t consider a patsy because he himself is the promoter and he wants to give the fans their money’s worth. Besides, the fight will be beamed on US pay-per-view and subscribers aren’t expected to cough up $50 for a mismatch.

No doubt, the fight will be hotly contested. Although Pacquiao will be heavily favored to win, oddsmakers aren’t discounting the possibility of an upset. Larios is known to be a shifty, tireless and clever operator with a variety of punches. Roach said Pacquiao must in the best shape of his career to beat the more experienced Mexican warrior.

Fighting in Pacquiao’s turf doesn’t bother Larios who’s used to invading hostile territory. He relishes the conquistador’s role. During his reign as WBC titlist, he traveled to Japan to face hometown challengers in four defenses and never lost. When Larios knocked out Willie Jorrin in the first round to wrest the WBC crown, he did it in the champion’s hometown of Sacramento.

"I never had a problem or concern fighting a hometown fighter because I know the judges would be fair and treat me fair," said Larios.

In the first of his four Japan outings, Larios had no difficulty disposing of Manabu Fukushima in Tokyo in 2002. He knocked out Fukushima at 2:27 of the eighth. At the time of the stoppage, Larios was ahead in the three judges scorecards by a mile. The three judges saw it a shutout, turning in identical 70-62 cards.

Larios was back in Tokyo a year later and this time, encountered some rough sailing against Shigeru Nakazato. Larios was rocked twice and nearly fell in the sixth and eighth rounds. Nakazato’s opportunity to finish off Larios went up in smoke when with 10 seconds left in the eighth and the Mexican in dire straits, referee Toby Gibson stopped the action as a Larios cornerman jumped into the ring. It appeared the cornerman mistook the 10-second warning for the end of the round or was it a deliberate ploy to throw off Nakazato and rescue Larios?

In the ninth, a left hook broke Larios’ jaw but despite the rocky moments, Larios hung on to score a unanimous 12-round decision. Joe Koizumi, reporting at ringside, said Larios’ experience and heart made the difference. Judges Tony Castellano and Malcolm Bulner saw it 116-110 and judge Gale Van Hoy, 114-111. Nakazato, incidentally, was decked by Larios in the fifth and barely beat the count as the bell sounded.

"Larios, who might have been expecting an easy payday, ended up having to go straight to the hospital," said Koizumi.

A year later, Larios and Nakazato faced off in a rematch in Saitama. This time, Larios breezed to a trouble-free win on points. Judge Dalby Shirley saw it a 120-107 shutout. Judge Herbert Minn had it 118-109 and judge Dae Bun Chung, 116-112.

For the record, Larios was never knocked down in any fight in Japan.

In 2001, Larios lost to Jorrin on a disputed 12-round hometown decision in his first attempt to capture the WBC 122-pound crown in Sacramento. A year later, they met in a rematch and Larios made sure there would be no controversy in the outcome. He dropped Jorrin with a right uppercut with less than a minute gone in the first round and finished him off with a barrage of 18 unanswered punches.

"I knew I couldn’t let the fight go the distance especially in his hometown again so I knew that I would have to go after Jorrin when the bell rang," said the curly-haired Larios who bears a striking resemblance to two-time Luisito Espinosa opponent Cesar Soto. "I knew the fight wouldn’t last more than a few rounds."

Larios, 29, is the father of four girls. His father Teodoro was a lightweight contender in the ’80s. He posted a 30-4 amateur record before turning pro in 1994. Larios scored 20 straight wins before suffering his first loss in 1997 to Israel Vazquez. In his most recent outing last December, Larios was floored in the first round and stopped on cuts by Vazquez in his eighth WBC title defense. The setback ended a streak of 17 consecutive wins. His record is 56-4-1, with 36 KOs.

Postscript. The funeral wake of Gilbert Reyes–avid golfer, consummate team player, loving husband to Evelyn and first coach to children Chot, Jun, Billy, Len, Mike and Gel–will be at the Santuario de San Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati, tomorrow and Tuesday. Mass will be celebrated during the wake at 8 p.m. tomorrow and 6 p.m. Tuesday. Our sincere condolences to the Reyes family. Gilbert, 66, was a true sports fan who lived life to the fullest. May he rest in peace with the Lord... Philippine Airlines (PAL) vice president of corporate communications Rolando Estabillo wrote to explain that a recent incident involving world champion Brian Viloria on a flight to Los Angeles was "clearly a case of miscommunication." Viloria failed to avail of his upgrade privilege because the business and first class sections were fully booked. Despite their economy class tickets, Viloria and his father Ben were treated to the amenities of the Mabuhay Lounge at the airport. Estabillo described Viloria as "a gentleman and a professional all throughout." He said the three empty first class seats were booked and paid for but the passengers just didn’t show up. By the way, PAL assistance manager Danny Noh deserves a huge pat in the back for going the extra mile in attending to passengers of flight 469 from Seoul to Manila last Wednesday. The flight was delayed two hours because of unforeseen circumstances. Noh, manning the counter, was unruffled in doing his duties. Also to be credited is staffer Cho Sung Chul.