MANILA, Philippines - Five Filipino fighters take on dangerous opponents in crossroads bouts at the Las Vegas Hilton this morning (Manila time) with the rewards far outweighing the risks if they pull off convincing wins.
But it won’t be easy for Nonito Donaire Jr., Gerry Peñalosa, Ciso Morales, Bernabe Concepcion and Mark Jason Melligen who are seeing action in a blockbuster card billed “Latin Fury 13/Pinoy Power 3” staged by Top Rank.
Donaire, 27, stakes his interim WBA superflyweight crown against Mexico’s Manuel (Chango) Vargas, a late replacement for original challenger Gerson Guerrero who was scratched with a detached retina in the right eye last Wednesday.
“I’ve always been prepared to fight anybody,” Donaire told espn.com. “I can adapt to any changes. I am ready for anybody. Whomever they put in, so be it. As long as I get to fight, I’m happy.”
Donaire offered to move up the limit to 118 pounds to accommodate a bigger opponent until Vargas was picked over former WBO superflyweight titlist Jose (Carita) Lopez and Hugo Ruiz. Vargas, 28, has a 26-4-1 record, with 11 KOs, and is coming off a loss by split decision to Filipino Donnie Nietes in a bid for the WBO minimumweight crown last September. The Mexican got the nod to tangle with Donaire because he was in shape for another bout this weekend.
Donaire is in line to battle WBA and WBC unified superflyweight titlist Vic Darchinyan in a rematch or newly crowned WBO champion Jorge Arce so he can’t afford to lose to Vargas. He’s just a win away from sealing a crack for a second world crown.
In Donaire’s corner for the bout will be former IBF superfeatherweight titleholder Robert Garcia, Jonathan Peñalosa and conditioning coach Mike Bazzel of the Undisputed Gym.
Peñalosa, 37, vowed to go all out for a knockout against former WBA flyweight and IBA superflyweight champion Eric (Little Hands of Steel) Morel of Puerto Rico in a 12-round duel for the interim WBO bantamweight diadem. He said losing isn’t an option.
Morel, 34, has won six in a row since coming back from a two-year prison stay for sexually assaulting an unconscious 15-year-old girl in an apartment. Known as a defensive stylist, Morel will use his 2 1/2-inch height advantage and a glaring five-inch edge in reach to frustrate Peñalosa. The 1996 Olympian said he is dedicating the fight to his fiancée Francisca Padilla and his two daughters Janessa, 13, and Jalyssa, 7, who kept the faith throughout his imprisonment.
Brushing aside talk of retirement, Peñalosa said after disposing of Morel, he will challenge WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel who defends the 118-pound belt against the Bohol-born Morales on the same card. But that depends on whether Montiel repulses Morales.
Montiel, 30, is a former WBO flyweight and two-time superflyweight titlist who looked shaky in escaping with a technical decision over Alejandro Valdez last September. The Mexican was supposed to face Z Gorres in a rematch but with the Filipino recovering from brain surgery, he chose to meet Morales instead of experienced warrior Michael Domingo. In 2007, Montiel scored a split 12-round decision over Gorres to retain the WBO 115-pound title in Cebu City. Gorres will be at ringside to watch the card as Donaire’s special guest. He is set to fly back to Cebu on Tuesday with wife Daches after surviving his ordeal.
Morales, 22, has a 14-0 record, with eight KOs, compared to Montiel’s 39-2-2, with 29 KOs. Youth will be on his side but unless he overpowers Montiel, Morales may not be able to outbox the slick Mexican who is tipped to win on points. In Morales’ corner will be Donaire’s father Dodong.
Concepcion, 22, will square off against Puerto Rican southpaw Mario Santiago in a featherweight showdown. The Virac, Catanduanes, contender is determined to earn another world title shot after blowing his chance in a loss to then WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano on a seventh round disqualification in Las Vegas last August.
What could stymie Concepcion is Santiago’s five-inch reach advantage. Santiago, 31, held Luevano to a split draw in their own title bout in 2008 and is as ready as Concepcion to win. His only defeat was a technical decision to one-time Manny Pacquiao victim Hector Velazquez. Santiago, 31, boasts a 21-1-1 record, with 14 KOs, while Concepcion’s mark is 27-3-1, with 15 KOs.
Melligen, 23, is booked against Texan Raymond Gatica in an eight-rounder. The Bacolod City welterweight hopes to bounce back from a split decision loss to Mexico’s Michel Rosales in Las Vegas last November. Before the defeat, Melligen had won 10 straight, seven by KO. It will be his sixth US outing.
Gatica, 25, is unbeaten with an 11-0 record, including six KOs, compared to Melligen’s 16-2, with 12 KOs. He ended a 17-month layoff to halt Julio Perez in the fourth round last December.
“Melligen is in a must-win situation,” said ALA stable owner Tony Aldeguer. “If he loses, Top Rank will drop him like a hot potato. He can’t afford to lose this fight and he knows it.”
For the five Filipino fighters, it’s a do-or-die mission. That’s why they’re expected to pull out all the stops in what could be the fight of their lives.