Romero wants another fight in Mexico

MANILA, Philippines - Sporting a nasty bruise on his right cheek and a cut on his left eyebrow, Omar Nino Romero insisted he could’ve gone on fighting WBO flyweight champion Brian Viloria when American referee Michael Ortega intervened at 2:07 of the ninth round at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City last Sunday morning.

“I wasn’t hurt,” claimed Romero who was on the verge of collapse at the time of the stoppage. “Viloria didn’t show me anything different from our first two fights – he fought the same way. It’s not over for me. I’ll keep on fighting. I want another fight with Viloria, this time in Mexico. I gave him a chance by coming to the Philippines. In Mexico, I’ll be with my people. I’ll beat him in Mexico.”

Romero was examined by Games and Amusements Board physician Dr. Daniel Alquitran and his assistant Nichol Begosa in the dressing room after the fight. “Vital signs were okay,” said Dr. Alquitran. “We checked his eyes and blood pressure – no problem. No need to send him to a hospital for a CT-scan.”

Romero created a slight commotion when he demanded to be paid his purse in cash before leaving Manila the night of the fight. He was earlier assured the $50,000 purse would be wired to his bank account. Promoters had to scramble for cash to give in to Romero’s unexpected demand. Romero was reportedly given a bonus just to board the plane in Mexico for Manila.

Ortega, 54, said he had no second thoughts in stopping the fight. “Romero’s eye-hand coordination was gone,” he said. “It’s okay if you miss a punch by two or three inches but when you miss by five or six inches, something’s wrong. Viloria was in total control. Romero was badly hurt. There was no way he could turn it around unless he got lucky with a big punch but the way he was wobbly, it was highly unlikely. He took too much punishment. I didn’t want him to get hurt some more. It made no sense to continue the fight with Romero helpless.”

The beginning of Romero’s end came when Viloria sent the Mexican challenger reeling with a left hook to the jaw midway the ninth. As the Mexican sought refuge along the ropes to hold him up, Viloria went in for the kill. Romero would’ve gone down if not for Ortega’s intervention. Just as Ortega stepped in, Romero’s chief second Manuel Montiel Sr. entered the ring to throw in the towel. Romero’s camp conceded defeat although the proud Mexican warrior protested Ortega’s stoppage.

Viloria was way ahead in the three judges’ scorecards when it ended. Glen Feldman of Avon, Connecticut, and Filipino lawyer Danrex Tapdasan both scored it 80-71 while judge Carlos Ortiz Jr. of New York City had it 79-72, giving Romero only the second round.

Ortega’s reputation is pristine. His father Gaspar, a world-rated welterweight in the ‘60s, is an Aztec Indian from Mexico and mother from Puerto Rico. The Hamden, Connecticut, resident has worked over 50 world title fights in 16 years as a referee. Ortega was the third man in the ring when Victor Ortiz outpointed Andre Berto for the WBC welterweight crown last year and Joe Calzaghe defeated Mikkel Kessler in a world supermiddleweight unification title showdown in Cardiff in 2007. His ring career has taken him to Japan, Germany, Scotland, Wales, Argentina and Mexico.

Two memorable fights where Ortega was involved were Carl Froch’s come-from-behind 12th round knockout over Jermaine Taylor for the WBC supermiddleweight title in 2009 and Antwun Echols’ third round disposal of Charles Brewer after suffering three knockdowns in the previous stanza in 2001.  Froch had been floored and was behind on points when he stopped Taylor with 14 seconds left in the bout.

Among fights in the lower weight divisions, Ortega said he’ll never forget Mark (Too Sharp) Johnson’s win by majority decision over Fernando Montiel in a WBO superflyweight title match. “It makes no difference if you’re working a fight between big guys or little guys,” said Ortega. “Before I do a fight, I watch one or two videos of the fighters, just to check on tendencies. If I spot anything irregular, I remind them to keep it clean in the dressing room before the fight. I know a lot of tricks of the trade and I make sure a fight is always on the level. When I’m doing a fight, I don’t really care who’s ahead – that job is for the judges.”