Is jinx over for Pinoy pugs?

MANILA, Philippines - If bad luck comes in threes, boxing promoter Sammy Gello-ani said yesterday he hopes the jinx is over for Filipino fighters bidding to capture world crowns overseas.

Gello-ani’s luck turned sour as three fighters for whom he negotiated title cracks fell by the wayside in succession – Ciso Morales, Marvin Sonsona and Bert Batawang.

Morales, 22, was knocked out with a body shot by Fernando Montiel in the first round of a WBO bantamweight title bout in Las Vegas last Feb. 13. Sonsona, 19, lost to Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr. on a fourth round stoppage, also with a body shot, for the vacant WBO superbantamweight title in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, two weeks later. And last Saturday, Bert Batawang, 38, surrendered in his stool after taking a bad beating from Ulises Solis in an IBF lightflyweight championship eliminator at the Plaza Pueblo Antiguo, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

For Batawang, Gello-ani said it’s the end of his boxing career.

“Bert had enough time to train and I thought he had a 60 percent chance to win against Solis in spite of three postponements of the fight,” said Gello-ani. “He needed to be calm and just look for the opening to deliver the big knockout punch. I was more confident of his condition now than before even if he’s older because Bert is a very disciplined fighter.”

But Solis proved tougher in the trenches. In the first three rounds, it was give-and-take as both fighters had their moments. Solis began to take control in the fourth, dropping Batawang on the seat of his pants for a mandatory eight-count. The Filipino, however, refused to back down and battled the Mexican toe-to-toe. In the fifth, Solis banged away at Batawang who was overwhelmed and barely survived. Before the start of the sixth, Gello-ani decided to raise the white flag.

“Bert’s okay,” said Gello-ani. “He was caught in the fourth and went down but courageously fought back. We stopped the fight due to the beating he took in the fifth. Definitely, Bert will now retire and just help in the gym training new prospects.”

Gello-ani made no excuses even if just days before the fight, the venue was moved from Acapulco to Ensenada, creating confusion in the Filipino camp.

It was the second meeting between the two fighters. In 2007, Batawang was halted by Solis in the ninth round in Guadalajara with the IBF 108-pound diadem at stake. Solis, 28, claimed the IBF title in 2006 and disposed of eight challengers before losing the throne to Brian Viloria at the Araneta Coliseum last year. The Mexican has since bounced back to outpoint Dirceu Cabarca and stop Batawang in raising his record to 30-2-2, with 21 KOs. Solis is now lined up to challenge IBF champion Carlos Tamara of Colombia.

Batawang wound up his career with a record of 45-15-3, with 17 KOs, six in the first round. He turned pro in 1990 when Solis was only nine years old. Two of his biggest wins were a fourth round knockout over Thailand’s Samransak Singmanasak for the vacant WBO Oriental lightflyweight title in 2008 and a fifth round disposal of Indonesia’s Jack Amisa for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific lightflyweight crown last year.

Batawang stayed away from boxing for five years after losing a decision to future world champion Yo Sam Choi in South Korea in 1995. Then, he came back to re-establish his career and eventually broke into the top 10 world ratings.

Meanwhile, Gello-ani has finalized a title crack for another Filipino fighter whom he hopes will break the jinx. Johnriel Caseimero will take on WBO lightflyweight champion Ivan Calderon in a 12-round title match in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on May 29.

Casimero, 20, won the interim WBO crown by halting Colombia ‘s Cesar Canchila in a major upset in Nicaragua last December. Canchila was floored in the third, sixth, ninth and twice in the 11th before referee Jose Hiram Rivera stopped the carnage. His record is 14-0, with eight KOs, compared to Calderon’s 33-0-1, with six KOs.

Calderon, a southpaw, is coming off two bloody battles against Filipino Rodel Mayol. The first ended in a sixth round technical draw and the second, Calderon won on a seventh round technical decision.

International matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz, who arranged the fight, said he was initially reluctant to negotiate the title crack.

“I think Casimero’s too green,” said Lewkowicz. “It would be better if he fought once or twice more before challenging Calderon. But Casimero wants it now. I just think Calderon’s too experienced. I’m giving Casimero just a 25 percent chance to win but who knows? Casimero needs a lucky punch, not just any punch, to win. I remember nobody thought Casimero could knock out Canchila last year and he did it.”