“Thrilla” card takes shape

The “Thrilla In Manila” golden anniversary card is close to finalization with 11 fights confirmed on the bill and two more in the works as MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons is burning the midnight oil to complete the pairings that will highlight the celebration at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Oct. 29.

The main event features WBC minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem staking his throne against South Africa’s No. 2 contender Siyakholwa Kuse in a 12-rounder. It will be Jerusalem’s third defense of the crown. Kuse is on a six-fight win streak and totes a 9-2-1 record, with four KOs, compared to Jerusalem’s mark of 24-3, with 12 KOs.

In the chief aperitif, two-time Olympian Eumir Marcial faces Venezuelan KO artist Eddy Colmenares for the vacant WBC International middleweight title. Marcial will turn 30 on the day of the fight and is making his 10-round debut. His record is 6-0, with four KOs.  Colmenares, 28, is known as “El Terrible” and boasts a record of 11-2-1 with 11 KOs. Both fighters are sluggers and the consensus is it won’t go the distance.

Unbeaten WBO No. 1 superbantamweight Carl Jammes Martin, 26, returns home after scoring two wins in Mexico and one in Las Vegas. He’ll take on Thai gladiator Aran Dipaen who has won nine of his last 10 assignments. In 2021, Dipaen battled Naoya (The Monster) Inoue and lost by KO in the eighth round in Tokyo. Dipaen, 34, has a 21-4 record with 18 KOs. Martin’s slate is 26-0, with 20 KOs.

WBC No. 2, IBF No. 3, WBO No. 4 and WBA No. 10 superbantamweight Marlon Tapales will see action against Pakistan’s Nadir Baloch in a tenner. Tapales, like Dipaen, was stopped by Inoue but has since racked up three wins in a row to raise his record to 40-4 with 21 KOs. Baloch has a 12-2 mark with nine KOs.

Muhammad Ali’s grandson Nico Walsh is also on the card and will tangle with Thailand’s Patumpong Saengarun in an eight-round middleweight affair. Walsh’s record is 11-2, with five KOs while Patumpong’s slate is 14-10, with seven KOs. Walsh’s relation to Ali is a significant feature of the “Thrilla” celebration.

Other fights are WBC International lightflyweight champion Arvin Magramo against Berland Robles, Philippine flyweight king Albert Francisco against Ramel Macado Jr., Ronerick Ballesteros against Speedy Boy Acope, Eman Bacosa against Ronald Blanco, Roderick Bautista against Adrian Dulayba and Benny Canete against Ariel Antimaro.

In a prelude to the “Thrilla” anniversary, MP Promotions will stage a boxing card headlined by IBF minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran’s title defense against undefeated No. 3 contender Christian Balunan at the San Andres Sports Complex on Oct. 26. Balunan is from the late Flash Elorde’s hometown of Bogo, Cebu and has a 12-0 record with seven KOs. Taduran will make his second title defense and is coming off a win on points over former champion Ginjiro Shigeoka who was rushed to the hospital in a coma after the bout. There are 10 bouts on the bill and a bonus attraction is Hong Kong’s Rex Tso against India’s Sagar Chouhan in a 10-round battle of unbeaten bantamweights. Tso’s record is 23-0 with 14 KOs. Chouhan’s mark is 6-0-2, with two KOs.