Boxing Year-ender 2009
Bleacher Talk
December 20, 2009
Boxing Year-ender 2009
Cebu boxing will best be remembered for a mix of ups and downs
First, the good news. Of the country’s five current world champions, two are products of Cebu boxing. Donnie Nietes is the WBO minimumweight world champion while Rodel Mayol recently won the WBC light flyweight championship. We already know that Manny Pacquiao is the country’s top gun, with Fil-Am Brian Viloria (IBF light flyweight) and Nonito Donaire (WBA Interim superflyweight) as the country’s other world champions. Two out of five isn’t bad at all. No other place can claim such as record.
For the third year in a row, Nietes started and will end the year as a world champion. He is one of the most underrated Pinoy world champions who doesn’t get the same attention as the other world champs. But after going through what he had to this year, maybe sports fans will finally recognize him. He had to the tough task of defending his title not once, but twice on hostile territory in Mexico. In his first defense of the year, he dominated Erik Ramirez on the way to a lopsided unanimous decision win in February. He sent Ramirez to the canvass four times, something that not many Pinoys have been able to do in the past. Nietes then went back to Mexico in September to battle WBO interim world Manuel Vargas to decide who’s who in the WBO 105-pound division. Nietes came out on top by split decision, but the score of the third judge who gave the fight to Vargas was highly questionable. Nietes ends the year as The Ring Magazine’s # 6 ranked boxer in the 105-pound division.
Mayol took a strange route to the championship. In his first title fight in June, an attempt to snatch WBO Ivan Calderon’s title, an accidental headbutt led to the fight being stopped and it ended in a draw/technical decision. His second title challenge in September was also stopped due to a cut coming from a headbutt (again), and he lost to Calderon by technical decision in a rematch. Mayol’s third world title fight of the year turned out to be something different. He scored a second round technical knockout win over defending WBC light flyweight champion Edgar Sosa in front of Sosa’s fans in Mexico last month. Mayol’s poor start for 2009 turned out great in the end. Although his 1-1-1 record for the year isn’t impressive on paper, the bottom line is that he has that WBC championship belt. Moreover, Mayol shot straight up to # 4 in The Ring Magazine’s rankings for light flyweights.
After Nietes and Mayol, I’m afraid everyone else was on a different mode for 2009. Gerry Peñalosa lost his WBO bantamweight title when he went up in weight to challenge Juanma Lopez. All other boxers were either starting all over again or looking for that much-needed exposure and experience that will help them in their future. Milan Melindo is the highest ranked non-world champion out there. He’s ranked # 5 by The Ring Magazine, but still hasn’t found the right breaks to go for a world championship. He scored wins over an ex world champ and a reportedly up-and-coming Mexican, and is dying for more competitive opponents.
December 20, 2009
Boxing Year-ender 2009
Cebu boxing will best be remembered for a mix of ups and downs
First, the good news. Of the country’s five current world champions, two are products of Cebu boxing. Donnie Nietes is the WBO minimumweight world champion while Rodel Mayol recently won the WBC light flyweight championship. We already know that Manny Pacquiao is the country’s top gun, with Fil-Am Brian Viloria (IBF light flyweight) and Nonito Donaire (WBA Interim superflyweight) as the country’s other world champions. Two out of five isn’t bad at all. No other place can claim such as record.
For the third year in a row, Nietes started and will end the year as a world champion. He is one of the most underrated Pinoy world champions who doesn’t get the same attention as the other world champs. But after going through what he had to this year, maybe sports fans will finally recognize him. He had to the tough task of defending his title not once, but twice on hostile territory in Mexico. In his first defense of the year, he dominated Erik Ramirez on the way to a lopsided unanimous decision win in February. He sent Ramirez to the canvass four times, something that not many Pinoys have been able to do in the past. Nietes then went back to Mexico in September to battle WBO interim world Manuel Vargas to decide who’s who in the WBO 105-pound division. Nietes came out on top by split decision, but the score of the third judge who gave the fight to Vargas was highly questionable. Nietes ends the year as The Ring Magazine’s # 6 ranked boxer in the 105-pound division.
Mayol took a strange route to the championship. In his first title fight in June, an attempt to snatch WBO Ivan Calderon’s title, an accidental headbutt led to the fight being stopped and it ended in a draw/technical decision. His second title challenge in September was also stopped due to a cut coming from a headbutt (again), and he lost to Calderon by technical decision in a rematch. Mayol’s third world title fight of the year turned out to be something different. He scored a second round technical knockout win over defending WBC light flyweight champion Edgar Sosa in front of Sosa’s fans in Mexico last month. Mayol’s poor start for 2009 turned out great in the end. Although his 1-1-1 record for the year isn’t impressive on paper, the bottom line is that he has that WBC championship belt. Moreover, Mayol shot straight up to # 4 in The Ring Magazine’s rankings for light flyweights.
After Nietes and Mayol, I’m afraid everyone else was on a different mode for 2009. Gerry Peñalosa lost his WBO bantamweight title when he went up in weight to challenge Juanma Lopez. All other boxers were either starting all over again or looking for that much-needed exposure and experience that will help them in their future. Milan Melindo is the highest ranked non-world champion out there. He’s ranked # 5 by The Ring Magazine, but still hasn’t found the right breaks to go for a world championship. He scored wins over an ex world champ and a reportedly up-and-coming Mexican, and is dying for more competitive opponents.
AJ Banal is another boxer who’s slowly getting back on track. He won three fights this year all against foreigners, after losing to Rafael Concepcion in 2008. We don’t see him going for a world championship until he’s really ripe for it. Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista made a “comeback” of sorts after undergoing surgery in his left wrist to win the interim WBC International featherweight championship last October. The fight was more of a status check on how his wrist was doing. I guess there won’t be any more doubts after winning by knock-out. But then again, that was just one fight. Now campaigning as a featherweight, he’ll have to start all over again from scratch and make his presence felt before getting recognized by the international promoters. At another level are the likes of Mark Jason Melligen, Jason Pagara, Czar Amonsot who are trying to make names for themselves. Amonsot and Pagara went undefeated in 2009 but faced some serious difficulties in their fights. Melligen lost his last fight in the U.S. and will also have to pick up the pieces and move on.
We can’t end this year-ender without talking briefly about Z Gorres. There’s no need to discuss in detail what he’s had to go through. These things aren’t supposed to happen to dedicated and family-loving boxers out there, but it did. What he needs at this point is all our payer, support and love. We’re certain that he’ll make it through this biggest battle of his life and will come out on top the champ that he is.
We can’t end this year-ender without talking briefly about Z Gorres. There’s no need to discuss in detail what he’s had to go through. These things aren’t supposed to happen to dedicated and family-loving boxers out there, but it did. What he needs at this point is all our payer, support and love. We’re certain that he’ll make it through this biggest battle of his life and will come out on top the champ that he is.
That was Cebu Boxing in 2009. Two world champs (out of the country’s five), a host of boxers in the learning/exposure mode, and Z Gorres. We have a lot to be thankful for and some “giving back” for others.
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