Fighters line up for undercard

Everybody wants to hop on the Manny Pacquiao bandwagon. Fighters are begging for the chance to show their wares in the undercard of Pacquiao’s bout against Antonio Margarito at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 13. It’s their chance to step onto the big stage, the opportunity to impress the 70,000 fans expected to pack Jerry Jones’ building.

Nine bouts are being assembled by Top Rank for what could be the year’s biggest boxing event. So far, the lineup adds to a total of 76 rounds. Pacquiao and Margarito head the bill in a 12-rounder for the vacant WBC superwelterweight title. Although the superwelterweight or junior middleweight division has a limit of 154 pounds, it was agreed by both parties to set a so-called “catchweight” ceiling of 151. The other 12-rounder pits Cuba’s Guillermo Rigondeaux against Panama’s Ricardo Cordoba for the WBA interim superbantamweight crown.

Two Filipinos are in contention for spots. Flyweight Richie Mepranum of Sarangani is almost a shoo-in to see action in an eight-rounder. Mepranum, 23, is now based in Chicago. The other is the late Flash Elorde’s grandson Juan Martin or Bai. Pacquiao himself has given instructions to include Elorde in the cast. Elorde, 25, is a superfeatherweight prospect with a 10-0 record, including three KOs, and has never fought overseas.

Kelly (The Ghost) Pavlik, 28, is penciled to fight in the chief aperitif, a 10-round supermiddleweight bout against a still unnamed opponent. Pavlik lost his WBC and WBO middleweight titles to Sergio Martinez on points in Atlantic City last April and is itching to bounce back with a bang.

Rigondeaux, a 29-year-old Cuban defector now living in Miami, has a 6-0 record, with five KOs, but his ring maturity is beyond doubt. He’ll go up against Cordoba whose record is 37-2-2, with 23 KOs. What’s interesting is both are southpaws. The 6-foot Rigondeaux towers over Cordoba by four inches and is extremely lengthy for a 122-pounder.

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Also in the undercard is 18-year-old Jose Benavidez of Phoenix. Freddie Roach called the 5-11 lightwelterweight his best young fighter. Benavidez boasts an 8-0 record with eight KOs, five in the first round. He turned pro only last January and has been incredibly active, even fighting twice in the same month. His opponent is Winston Mathis whose record is 6-2, with two KOs. You could almost imagine the ending. Benavidez will walk all over Mathis.

Two Mikes are on tap. Mike Lee, 23, will take on Keith Debow, 29, in the four-round lightheavyweight curtain raiser. Lee graduated at the top of his Notre Dame class with a finance degree last year and has a 2-0 mark. He’s based in Houston training under Ronnie Shields so the Illinois native is a local fan favorite.

The other Mike is Jones, 27. Jones will battle Mexican Jesus Soto Karass in a 10-rounder for the North American Boxing Organization welterweight championship. Jones packs a 22-0 record, with 18 KOs, and should thrash Karass who is 26-4-3, with 16 KOs. Jones stands six feet and has a 72-inch wingspan.

Heavyweight Joe Hanks is listed in a six-rounder but no opponent has been announced. Hanks has a 14-0 record, with nine KOs. He will likely be dislodged if Top Rank makes way for Elorde.

HBO will televise only four or five fights, depending on how long the main attractions take. A “swing” bout, the fifth in the bill, is usually taped and aired if the TV fights end early.

It’ll be a slam-bang card, that’s for sure. Top Rank would’ve staged it in Las Vegas but the Nevada State Athletic Commission refused to license Margarito in deference to California’s continuing suspension due to the handwraps incident in the Sugar Shane Mosley fight last year. Texas, however, came to Margarito’s rescue and issued the “Tijuana Tornado” a license, presumably to court the large Mexican community in the state.

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In Las Vegas the week before, Top Rank will stage a card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The main event will feature WBO featherweight king Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico against Rafael Marquez of Mexico. Two Filipinos are in the queue for the undercard – featherweight Bernabe Concepcion and welterweight Dennis Laurente.

Concepcion, 22, was stopped by Lopez in his second foiled bid for a world title in Puerto Rico last July. He was decked once in the first and twice in the second before referee Luis Pabon stepped in. Concepcion enjoyed a brief moment of glory when he floored Lopez late in the opening round.

Last year, it appeared that Concepcion was on the verge of dethroning then WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano in Las Vegas. He was ahead in one of the three judges scorecards and coming on strong when disaster struck. Concepcion delivered a vicious right hook to the jaw a split second after the seventh round bell, dropping Luevano. Referee Jay Nady declared Concepcion loser by disqualification as Luevano took the easy way out and claimed he couldn’t continue because of the foul blow.

Five months later, Luevano was dethroned by Lopez on a seventh round stoppage. He paid dearly for the injustice to Concepcion, a case of karma. Luevano, 29, recently announced his retirement, unable to come to grips with himself. Was it a guilty conscience that led to his early retreat?

“I’m happy for him, he’s a great kid,” said trainer Robert Garcia who takes care of Nonito Donaire. “He’s a family man and he’s had a great career. He lost to a great champion, made five defenses and I support him 100 percent. I did the same thing.” Garcia, a former IBF superfeatherweight titlist, hung up his gloves at 26.

Luevano has gone to pasture but Concepcion fights on, his mission to win a world title still unaccomplished.