Melindo faces Tamara tonight

MANILA, Philippines - Former IBF lightflyweight champion Carlos Tamara of Colombia attempts to reprise his stunning knockout win over Brian Viloria early this year when he takes on rising star Milan Melindo in a 10-round bout at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City tonight.

Tamara, 27, invaded local shores to dethrone Viloria by a 12th round knockout last January and stamped his class as a fearless warrior in the ring. Now, he’s back in an attempt to victimize Melindo, a world title hopeful in Tony Aldeguer’s ALA stable.

Melindo, 22, appears ready for a crack at the world crown. He’s ranked No. 6 by the IBF, No. 10 by the WBA and No. 15 by the WBC in the flyweight division. The WBO rates him No. 4 in the minimumweight class. Tamara, who lost the IBF 108-pound title in his first defense to Argentina’s Luis Lazarte by a split decision last May, is ranked No. 11 by the IBF and No. 13 by the WBC.

“Milan had a great training camp and is really focused for the fight,” said Aldeguer. “He looks much stronger at 112 than when he was at 108. Milan waited so long for the chance to show that he belongs at the world championship level and we’ll know tonight if he’s indeed ready to fight for a world title. We’ve discussed this with his trainers and my son Michael (ALA Promotions president). Everything will depend on his performance against Tamara.”

For sure, Tamara won’t be easy pickings. He trained in New York City with former IBF bantamweight champion Joseph Agbeko of Ghana his primary sparring partner. Tamara flew in with trainers Butch Sanchez and Edgar Rodriguez.

“We are aware that Tamara has trained hard for this fight because he wants a shot at the title again,” said Aldeguer. “We believe that what Milan has to do is to fight his fight and follow the game-plan of maximizing his skills, speed and ring smarts. We’re not expecting a knockout and Milan is ready to go 10 rounds if necessary. We know Tamara gets stronger as the fight gets longer so Milan has trained to go even up to 12 rounds, realizing the key to winning this fight could lie in the later rounds.”

Tamara has a 21-5 record, with 15 KOs. Before losing to Lazarte, he had won four in a row.

Aldeguer disclosed that when Tamara held the IBF belt, he asked for a $40,000 purse to defend the throne against Melindo in Manila or Cebu.

“We were ready to promote it,” said Aldeguer. “Tamara made a name for himself by stopping Viloria so he’s well-known to Filipino fans. After initially coming to terms, Tamara decided to fight a less dangerous challenger, Lazarte, for only $20,000. He ended up losing by a split decision. Tamara has now moved up to flyweight and wants Milan’s rating. This fight should’ve happened earlier with the title on the line but we’re not in a hurry. Now is the time for Milan to show what he can do against Tamara.”

Melindo, known as a methodical technician, has shown remarkable progress lately in the power department. He won his last two bouts by knockout over Jin Man Jeon and Komrit Twins Gym. His record is 22-0, with seven KOs.

In an explosive undercard, Aldeguer has lined up OPBF flyweight titlist Rocky Fuentes against Thai challenger Inthanon Sithchamuang, former IBF minimumweight champion Florante Condes against Japan’s Kenichi Horikawa, former three-time OPBF ruler Randy Suico against Philippine welterweight king Arnel Tinampay and Dodie Boy Penalosa Jr. against Junel Gadapan.

Fuentes, 24, is ranked No. 6 by the WBO and No. 7 by the WBC, WBA and IBF in the flyweight division. He risks his lofty ratings by battling Sithchamuang who has won his last nine outings. Condes, 30, is on the comeback trail and faces Horikawa who led in the three judges’ scorecards by a mile when he was knocked out by Filipino Michael Landero for the vacant OPBF minimumweight crown in Osaka last May.

Suico, 31, has held the OPBF superfeatherweight, lightweight and lightwelterweight titles and is coming off a split 12-round loss to Motoki Sasaki in Tokyo. He’s expected to feast on Tinampay whose record is 12-11-1, with four KOs. Suico’s mark is 29-6-1, with 25 KOs.

There is a lot of interest in the Condes bout particularly as the hard-hitting Romblon native is dedicating the fight to his mother who recently lost a leg.

“I’m very excited to fight again especially in Cebu and I’d like to thank ALA Promotions for giving me another opportunity to do what I love to do best and that is boxing,” said Condes. “I would have wanted to do my preparations at the ALA Gym but unfortunately, something happened. My mother lost a leg and I had to train close to home so I could be near her for support. I am more motivated because of this.” Condes is a banger with a 24-5-1 record, including 20 KOs. Last August, he outpointed Indonesia’s Sofyan Effendi in his first ALA Promotions bout. Known as “Little Pacquiao,” Condes had a brief reign as the IBF 105-pound champion and lost the title in his first defense to Raul Garcia on a split decision in Mexico two years ago.