Gorres & Strike 3
Bleacher Talk
March 15, 2009
Gorres & Strike 3
Can Z Gorres still make it to the top of the world? If this were baseball, we’ll all have to remember that with three strikes, you’re out!
Funny it might be but this is where Gorres finds himself at this point of his colourful career that has been spiked with a lot of ups and downs. We must all remember that Gorres launched his boxing career as a flyweight (112 pounds) in 2001. He ran up 12 straight wins, then won the Philippine flyweight championship in his 13th fight. He then lost his crown on his very next fight. End of the flyweight road. Strike 1.
His second breath in boxing was now to fight at the super flyweight division (115 pounds). He raked up 14 straight wins in his new weight from 2003 to 2006, and won the OPBF super flyweight title in the process. This impressive run included three fights in the United States where the international boxing players started to pay attention to him. It was at this stage when he was ripe to go for it all.
Then came the night of February 24, 2007, a night that Gorres and the rest of the ALA team wished had never happened. Fernando Montiel came to Cebu defend his WBO super flyweight championship at the Cebu City Sports Complex in Cebu’s biggest ever boxing event. The stage was set. Cebu was excited for a night to produce a world champion. The venue was packed. The scene was straight out of a rock star concert set up by broadcasting giant ABS-CBN. There was nothing else that could’ve made the event more perfect, except for the announcing of the final decision: a split decision win for Montiel.
Having recovered from the heart-breaking loss, Gorres came back to TKO ex-world champion Eric Ortiz. Barely a year after the Montiel fight, Gorres faced his second test in two years: another ex-flyweight and current world super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan. The Raging Bull was coming off a loss to Nonito Donaire for the IBF flyweight championship, and was in a hurry to win another belt. He defeated Federico Catubay after the Donaire fight, and was calling on the big names to fight him. We all know how it ended. A split draw ironically paved the way for Darchinyan to bulldoze his way to the IBF superflyweight championship and eventually the WBA and WBC versions. He defended these titles against Jorge Arce and is now considered as one of boxing’s best boxers. As for Gorres, he defeated Nick Otieno in May of 2008 then faced another blank wall in the 115-pound division. Strike 2?
Gorres now finds himself in his third weight class, the bantamweight division of 118 pounds. Current champs here are Gerry Peñalosa (WBO), Hozumi Hasagawa (WBC) Anselmo Moreno (WBA) and Joseph Agbeko (IBF). They’re all virtually unknowns in the boxing world, but lurking in the horizon is Fernando Montiel who has abandoned the 115-pound division and has moved up. He’ll be fighting Eric Morel for the WBO Interim world title while Peñalosa moves up to fight for the super bantamweight title. Don’t look now but Christian Mijares has also moved and can easily defeat Hasagawa, Moreno or Agbeko. Abner Mares is another hot young prospect who’s being groomed to dominate the bantamweight division. Will Darchinyan follow suit?
The bantamweight division doesn’t look to be as deep as the super flyweight division with the Mexican trio of Montiel, Mijares, Mares plus Peñalosa as the real big threats out there. Add Darchinyan to the mix and you’ll have an explosive bunch.
Campaigning as a bantamweight for the first time last night, Gorres hopes to re-launch on another long and arduous road to win a world ch
ampionship. Winning over Roberto Leyva is a must before anything else. The irony of it all is that he has to start all over again. Take away all the previous regional titles and wins that he recorded had as flyweight and as a super flyweight. All of that goes out the window as he prepares for what could be his last hurrah. In a chat with the media earlier in the year, the ALA team indicated that they won’t be going for any world championships this year. Not because of the crisis, but they felt that no boxer was ready for such a huge task. But if ever there would be someone who might just get the call for a world title fight, that would have to be Gorres. But then again, no rush here now, is there? He’s still young, turning 27 this year, but will really have to elevate his level of boxing to the highest possible limit.
Cebu Boxing will be behind Gorres anew on his third “career,” but he must also realize the road will be even tougher up ahead. Bumps, bruises and a lot of hard work are the pre-requisites. Or else, it’ll be Strike 3.
March 15, 2009
Gorres & Strike 3
Can Z Gorres still make it to the top of the world? If this were baseball, we’ll all have to remember that with three strikes, you’re out!
Funny it might be but this is where Gorres finds himself at this point of his colourful career that has been spiked with a lot of ups and downs. We must all remember that Gorres launched his boxing career as a flyweight (112 pounds) in 2001. He ran up 12 straight wins, then won the Philippine flyweight championship in his 13th fight. He then lost his crown on his very next fight. End of the flyweight road. Strike 1.
His second breath in boxing was now to fight at the super flyweight division (115 pounds). He raked up 14 straight wins in his new weight from 2003 to 2006, and won the OPBF super flyweight title in the process. This impressive run included three fights in the United States where the international boxing players started to pay attention to him. It was at this stage when he was ripe to go for it all.
Then came the night of February 24, 2007, a night that Gorres and the rest of the ALA team wished had never happened. Fernando Montiel came to Cebu defend his WBO super flyweight championship at the Cebu City Sports Complex in Cebu’s biggest ever boxing event. The stage was set. Cebu was excited for a night to produce a world champion. The venue was packed. The scene was straight out of a rock star concert set up by broadcasting giant ABS-CBN. There was nothing else that could’ve made the event more perfect, except for the announcing of the final decision: a split decision win for Montiel.
Having recovered from the heart-breaking loss, Gorres came back to TKO ex-world champion Eric Ortiz. Barely a year after the Montiel fight, Gorres faced his second test in two years: another ex-flyweight and current world super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan. The Raging Bull was coming off a loss to Nonito Donaire for the IBF flyweight championship, and was in a hurry to win another belt. He defeated Federico Catubay after the Donaire fight, and was calling on the big names to fight him. We all know how it ended. A split draw ironically paved the way for Darchinyan to bulldoze his way to the IBF superflyweight championship and eventually the WBA and WBC versions. He defended these titles against Jorge Arce and is now considered as one of boxing’s best boxers. As for Gorres, he defeated Nick Otieno in May of 2008 then faced another blank wall in the 115-pound division. Strike 2?
Gorres now finds himself in his third weight class, the bantamweight division of 118 pounds. Current champs here are Gerry Peñalosa (WBO), Hozumi Hasagawa (WBC) Anselmo Moreno (WBA) and Joseph Agbeko (IBF). They’re all virtually unknowns in the boxing world, but lurking in the horizon is Fernando Montiel who has abandoned the 115-pound division and has moved up. He’ll be fighting Eric Morel for the WBO Interim world title while Peñalosa moves up to fight for the super bantamweight title. Don’t look now but Christian Mijares has also moved and can easily defeat Hasagawa, Moreno or Agbeko. Abner Mares is another hot young prospect who’s being groomed to dominate the bantamweight division. Will Darchinyan follow suit?
The bantamweight division doesn’t look to be as deep as the super flyweight division with the Mexican trio of Montiel, Mijares, Mares plus Peñalosa as the real big threats out there. Add Darchinyan to the mix and you’ll have an explosive bunch.
Campaigning as a bantamweight for the first time last night, Gorres hopes to re-launch on another long and arduous road to win a world ch
ampionship. Winning over Roberto Leyva is a must before anything else. The irony of it all is that he has to start all over again. Take away all the previous regional titles and wins that he recorded had as flyweight and as a super flyweight. All of that goes out the window as he prepares for what could be his last hurrah. In a chat with the media earlier in the year, the ALA team indicated that they won’t be going for any world championships this year. Not because of the crisis, but they felt that no boxer was ready for such a huge task. But if ever there would be someone who might just get the call for a world title fight, that would have to be Gorres. But then again, no rush here now, is there? He’s still young, turning 27 this year, but will really have to elevate his level of boxing to the highest possible limit.Cebu Boxing will be behind Gorres anew on his third “career,” but he must also realize the road will be even tougher up ahead. Bumps, bruises and a lot of hard work are the pre-requisites. Or else, it’ll be Strike 3.
Picture: Z Gorres with Popoy & Thirdy at an ALA presscon from 2008.
oOo
Time-out: The Milo BEST Center basketball clinic will be held March 30-April 4, 2009 at the Capitol Parish Gym. For more info, contact 516-9036 or 0918-939-4846. >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
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