Pinoys ready to rumble in title bouts

MANILA, Philippines - Seven Filipino fighters are seeing action in rings around the world this morning (Manila time) but the spotlight is on two grudge rematches involving WBC lightflyweight champion Rodel Mayol against Mexico’s Omar Niño Romero and five-time title challenger Juanito Rubillar against South Africa’s Hekkie Budler.

Mayol, 28, is making the second defense of the WBC crown he wrested from Edgar Sosa on a second round knockout last November. Romero, 34, poleaxed Mayol with a sucker left hook to the jaw in their first meeting last February as the Filipino walked away, his guard down after getting hit by a low blow. Referee Vic Drakulich was on the way to signal a timeout when Romero dashed in to level Mayol. The fight was declared a technical draw in the third round – a solomonic solution as Mayol insisted on a win by disqualification and Romero a win by knockout. The justifiable verdict would have been a no-contest.

To settle their differences, Mayol and Romero will slug it out once more in San Juan del Rio, Queretaro, Mexico. Mayol blew four attempts to win a world title until hitting paydirt in halting Sosa and is determined to silence Romero who has trash-talked in media about how he plans to dispose of the champion. Mayol’s record is 26-4-2, with 20 KOs while Romero’s is 28-3-2, with 11 KOs.

Romero dethroned Brian Viloria as WBC lightflyweight champion in August 2006 then fought the Hawaiian Punch to a majority draw in a rematch. The draw was later declared a no-contest after Romero failed a drug test. He sat out a year then worked his way back to title contention.

Trainer Jesse Arevalo of the Wild Card Gym, Dr. Ed de la Vega and Mike Koncz will be in Mayol’s corner for the bout.

Rubillar, 33, is in the twilight of a long journeyman career and will make his sixth attempt to win a world title. Last February, he was robbed of a victory over Budler for the vacant IBO lightflyweight crown and lost a majority decision which raised a howl from media at ringside. Budler, 22, said he will prove his critics wrong with a convincing triumph in the rematch at Emperor’s Palace, Kempton Palace, Gauteng, South Africa. Budler has won 12 of his 15 fights in the venue.

The IBO assigned American Tommy Kimmons as referee and South African Terrance Makaluza, American Mike Fitzgerald and Briton Reg Thompson as judges. Rubillar’s manager Bebot Elorde said this is likely the Filipino’s last chance to win a world crown. His record is 48-14-7, with 23 KOs, compared to Budler’s 15-0, with five KOs.

In the undercard, Filipino Ronelle Ferreras takes on South Africa’s Gideon Buthelezi for the vacant IBO minimumweight title. How both fighters qualified to dispute a “world” crown is a mystery, considering Ferreras lost a 12-round decision to Thailand’s Waheng Menayothin for the interim WBC International 105-pount belt in his last outing and Buthelezi’s record is an inconclusive 9-2, with four KOs.

Two Filipinos are also scheduled to fight in Meson de los Deportes, Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, this morning. North Cotabato’s Edren Dapudong battles Mexico’s Jesus (The Destroyer) Jimenez for the vacant WBC “silver” flyweight title and Mandaluyong’s Richard Garcia meets WBC Youth superflyweight champion Juan Jose Montes of Mexico.

The “silver” championship was hatched by WBC president Jose Sulaiman to replace “interim” title fights and allow contenders to vie for some kind of global recognition before competing for a legitimate belt.

Dapudong, whose biggest win was a seventh round stoppage of veteran Bert Batawang last year, has a 17-2 mark, with nine KOs, compared to Jimenez’ 28-5, with 20 KOs. Jimenez, who once knocked out Filipino Jojo Bardon in one round in Tokyo, has won his last 15 bouts. Filipino Rey Danseco will be a judge in the contest with American Stephen Blea and Mexico’s Juan Carlos Pelayo. Danseco, 37, is working in his fifth assignment in Mexico, purportedly the only Filipino ever to judge a fight in the country.

Garcia, 25, is coming off a loss on points to Zolani Tete in South Africa and will be Montes’ third challenger. Montes, 20, has a 17-1 record, with 11 KOs, compared to Garcia’s 21-10-1, with five KOs, and holds a win over Filipino Fernando Lumacad.

Two more Filipinos are booked to fight in separate cards in California. Dodie Boy Peñalosa, Jr. is slated to face a still unnamed opponent in the undercard of unbeaten WBA supermiddleweight champion Andre Ward’s title defense against Allan Green at the Oracle Arena in Oakland while veteran Vernie Torres tangles with former WBA superflyweight titleholder Martin Castillo at the McDermott Field House in Lindsey.

Peñalosa, Jr., 20, is the son of former two-time world champion Dodie Boy and made his pro debut last January, stopping Anthony Balubar in two rounds. One of Nonito Donaire’s sparmates, Peñalosa is now based in San Mateo, California.

Torres, 36, has lost his last six bouts and hasn’t fought since bowing to Benjamin Flores on an eighth round technical decision two years ago in Las Vegas. The former Philippine superflyweight champion from General Santos City once had a streak of eight straight wins in the US where he relocated in 1999. Torres’ record is 27-12, with 15 KOs. Castillo, 33, has beaten the likes of Filipino Roger Galicia, Gerry Peñalosa’s conqueror Eric Morel and Alexander Muñoz in fashioning a 35-3 record, with 18 KOs, since turning pro in 1996.

It’ll be a busy morning for seven Filipino fighters out for fistic glory in Mexico, South Africa and the US.