Tough joust for King Arthur

This Saturday, WBO minimumweight champion Merlito Sabillo stakes his crown against Colombian challenger Jorie Estrada in a 12-rounder at the Solaire Resort Hotel and Casino but what could steal the show from the main event is the chief aperitif featuring unbeaten Arthur Villanueva against Mexican KO artist Arturo (Fuerte) Badillo for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific superflyweight title.

Villanueva, 24, is from Bacolod like Sabillo and his manager Michael Aldeguer said yesterday if King Arthur wants to become a world champion like his provincemate, he’s got to prove himself against Badillo.

“We were warned about Badillo, that he’s not an easy opponent,” said Aldeguer. “But we’re not in this business to pick easy opponents. Badillo is dangerous, he’s the kind of fighter who knocks you out or gets knocked out. We want to see if Villanueva has what it takes. We know he’s relentless and aggressive. He doesn’t back down from anyone. But we’d like to find out if he has the power, skills and ability to go all the way. No question about his heart. We just want to know if he’s ready to step up to the next level.”

Villanueva has a 22-0 record, with 12 KOs, but his last five outings went the distance, casting some doubt on his ability to finish off opponents. Last April, he scored a lopsided decision over previously undefeated Marco Demecillo of Wakee Salud’s stable to retain his OPBF 115-pound title in Davao City. And four months earlier, Villanueva survived knockdowns in the first and ninth rounds to outpoint Taiki Eto for the vacant OPBF championship at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

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Both victories were career-defining for King Arthur as he displayed incredible grit in gutting out the wins. He managed to deck Eto once but hit the canvas twice himself in gaining the nod of the three judges, including Japanese Yuji Fukuchi who saw it 113-112 for the Filipino. The two other judges also scored it for Villanueva, Thai Pinit Prayadsab 114-112 and Filipino Salven Lagumbay 113-112. Against Demecillo, Villanueva was untouchable as he trounced Salud’s highly touted prospect on scores of 119-108 twice and 118-109.

Another Villanueva victim was Thai veteran Pramuansak Posuwan who lost a decision to end his career in Cebu in 2012. Posuwan reigned as WBO Asia Pacific superflyweight champion for six years and defeated over 20 Filipino opponents until Villanueva sent him into retirement at the age of 44 with a final record of 45-5-1, including 24 KOs.

“It’s a big risk fighting Badillo,” said Aldeguer. “There are still a lot of questions unanswered about Villanueva and it’s time we find out how good he really is. We tested him against Demecillo who was unbeaten and he came through. In Japan, he went down twice but got up to win. Badillo is a hard hitter. If Villanueva was decked twice by Eto, he can’t afford to get hit by Badillo. His defense will be tested.”

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Badillo. 26, has fought for the world title once, losing to Hugo Cazares by a third round knockout in a bid to wrest the WBA superflyweight diadem in Sinaloa two years ago. The Tijuana brawler turned pro in 2007 and rolled to a 17-0 record. His first six fights ended in one round. He’s coming off a second round demolition of Daniel Gonzalez last February. Badillo is 3 1/2 inches taller than Villanueva with a 70-inch reach so he’ll tower over the Filipino. What’s scary about Badillo is his intimidating 90 percent knockout rate. Of his 21 wins, 19 came inside the distance. And his four losses were by knockout, indicating a do-or-die style. In all, Badillo has scored nine first round KOs and 15 within three rounds. The key is to avoid Badillo’s haymakers in the early rounds. If Villanueva is able to stave him off in the first three rounds, he has a better chance of survival and turning the tables on Badillo.

If Villanueva is on target, Badillo might capitulate because he’s supposedly glass-jawed. He was dropped thrice before referee Gustavo Padilla waved off his fight against Cazares in the third round. In June last year, Badillo was floored once in the first and fifth rounds in bowing to Jose Cayetano on a stoppage before a hometown crowd in Tijuana. A positive sign was when Badillo got up from a knockdown in the second round to halt Ricardo Armenta in the seventh in 2011.

Villanueva is ranked No. 10 by the WBO and WBA, No. 6 by the IBF and No. 16 by the WBC while Badillo is unrated after losing three of his last four bouts. No doubt, Villanueva has a lot more to lose than Badillo so the pressure is on the Filipino to win. Expect a slam-bang, all-action fight when they clash on Saturday. It might just take the thunder away from the Sabillo-Estrada mainer.