IBF No. 4 superflyweight contender Z Gorres failed to showcase the power he promised but did more than enough to pound out a unanimous 10-round decision over Nick (Black Sugar) Otieno of Kenya before a packed crowd at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City last Saturday night.
There were no knockdowns in the drag-out contest although Otieno almost crumpled to the canvas from a right uppercut in the final round. The durable visitor withstood Gorres’ furious assault in the late going and managed to survive the distance.
Judges Edgar Olalo, Edwin Barrientos and Noel Flores turned in identical 100-90 shutouts for Gorres who raised his record to 28-2-2, with 15 KOs. Otieno, the Universal Boxing Organization bantamweight titlist who slid to the 115-pound division for the chance to grab Gorres’ world rating, fell to 15-2, with five KOs.
Otieno, 33, weighed in at 112 pounds while Gorres, 26, tipped the scales at 116.
“I didn’t think he would last,” said Gorres in Filipino. “I attacked the body and when I saw he could take the shots, shifted to the head. I used different styles but he wouldn’t go down. After the fight, I congratulated him and told him he’s a good fighter who just lacks experience. He’s very physically fit. Even at 112, you can see from his body he’s all muscle.”
Otieno said he was hurt only once in the fight and admitted he nearly collapsed.
“Gorres didn’t show anything different from his previous fights,” said the Kenyan. “I showed I can be competitive against a world-rated fighter.”
Paul Otieno, the Kenyan’s cousin who worked his corner, complained about Gorres’ crouching style. “Nick couldn’t catch Gorres because he kept on ducking low which I think shouldn’t be allowed,” he said. “Nick would’ve fought better if Gorres didn’t bend so low.”
Gorres said he trained hard for Otieno but also kept the future in mind. “I was cautious at first because I had never seen him fight then I engaged him from close range,” noted Gorres. “Later, I used movement to fight from a distance. The experience will help me in the future.”
The win should’ve earned for Gorres a guaranteed crack at the IBF crown but his manager Michael Aldeguer said nothing is certain at the moment.
“We’re waiting for the outcome of (IBF superflyweight champion) Dimitri Kirilov’s defense against Vic Darchinyan on Aug. 2,” said Aldeguer. “If Darchinyan wins, it’s possible his manager Gary Shaw will exercise the first option to arrange a rematch with Nonito Donaire. We’re never sure how the IBF will decide. Another option is to challenge WBO champion Fernando Montiel in a rematch.”
Gorres said he’s itching for an opportunity to prove himself against Darchinyan who held him to a split draw last February.
“If I wait for the winner of the Kirilov-Darchinyan fight, I’ll be out of action for too long,” said Gorres. “I expect to fight after two months in another tune-up before challenging for the world title again.”
In other fights, former WBC flyweight champion Malcolm Tuñacao scored a first round technical knockout over Tanzania’s Rashid Ali, 15-year-old Jason Pagara won the WBO Youth lightweight crown when Indonesia’s Heri Andriyanto quit on his stool after the second round, Jether Oliva raised his record to 9-0, with seven KOs, in outpointing Jayson Rotoni, ALA stable cook Jun Intor and Ali Belonguel fought to a majority draw, debuting Juan Miguel Elorde decked Racem Laud en route to registering a unanimous four-round decision, Romeo Jakosalem stopped Elmer Colve in the sixth and Jerson Mancio decisioned Japan’s Ratazu Matzui in the four-round curtain-raiser.
Tuñacao, 30, came out smoking and banged away at Ali who seemed ready to go when he surrendered to referee Ben Necessario, claiming an elbow injury at 2:48 of the first round.
Pagara decked Andriyanto with a left hook in the second round and the Indonesian threw in the towel before the start of the third. It was a sensational win for the Cagayan de Oro wunderkind who started fighting as an amateur at eight and left school after second year high to turn pro. Pagara, the oldest of six children, said he dreams of becoming another Manny Pacquiao although his father Reynaldo, a construction worker who had a brief amateur career, commented the kid fights like Juan Manuel Marquez.
Elorde, 21, drew raves from the crowd as he displayed a big punch and a bigger heart in trouncing Laud. His grandmother Laura, the late Flash Elorde’s widow, parents Johnny and Liza and brother Juan Martin watched at ringside as the 5-8 bantamweight showed guts and power in turning back Laud.