Boxing 2010 Start
Bleacher Talk
January 31, 2010
Boxing 2010 Start
The start of local boxing was a mix of good and bad news. The good news is that Milan Melindo and AJ “Bazooka” Banal started out the year with impressive wins over foreign opponents. The bad news is that Brian Viloria lost his IBF light flyweight championship to Carlos Tamarra of Colombia. More good news came in the form of Jimrex Jaca’s knock-out win in his comeback campaign. And some not so good news is Jason Pagara’s unpopular majority decision win over his most recent foe. And even more good news is that Z Gorres is slowly but surely making progress, having moved out of the hospital and now undergoing therapy. And how can we “forget” that Manny Pacquiao has “forgotten” Floyd Mayweather and has now set his sights on Joshua Clottey? All of this happened in January alone. Not bad for a start, no? If this were to be a prelude of 2010, it looks like a rough road ahead for boxing with a good mix of ups and downs. We just hope there’ll be more ups then downs.
For Brian Viloria, the loss to Carlos Tamarra had to be a tough pill to swallow. The surprise loss wasn’t part of the script that called for Viloria to do an encore of his sensational 11th round KO win over Ulisses Solis when he won the IBF world light flyweight championship. Coming home to do it was the most logical thing to do, but Tamarra didn’t want to follow the script. Viloria has said that he’ll think about his future in the sport although he has said that he continues to love boxing. Some have called on him to retire, but I don’t think it will be that easy for him to just walk away. One thing that Viloria has to seriously work on is the need to take his fighting to a much higher level. He’s undoubtedly a good boxer, but he isn’t at such a level way above everyone else.
On the other hand, Milan Melindo is an exciting boxer who has had to deal with the “up-and-coming” tag for quite some time now. He seems ripe for a world championship, but the ALA management doesn’t intend to rush him into such a situation. He’s ranked by all world boxing bodies and has to contend with fighting for regional titles for now. With patience, the right network and the right timing, Melindo will get that shot at a world title. AJ Banal has already been tagged as a future world champion, and it sure looks like his path to that direction is just right. No rush, no world title fights yet. Just coasting along, gaining confidence and dealing with different kinds of boxers along the way. Only 21, he isn’t required to go for a world title fight right away.
Jimrex Jaca is an interesting sight to watch as he makes a return to competitive boxing after more than a year off the ring and losing his last three fights. His fifth round KO win over Ramadhan Weriu was a good way to kick off his comeback, but he’ll have to remember that it’s the finish –not the start- that counts most. He can now forget the win, head back to the gym and convince ALA Promotions that he deserves a second fight asap. Jason Pagara is another one of those young boxers with whom you can never be sure about. Is he the next big thing out of Cagayan de Oro? Or is he all hype? Analysts say that he didn’t look very impressive in his majority decision win over Eddy Comaro, and will have a lot of work to do at the gym if he’s to make a serious run at fighting at the international level. Pagara’s dilemma may be a case of people expecting so much from him and the tendency to overrate him is prevalent. Let’s face it. He’s only 17 years old! How many 17-year old boxers out there have logged 22 fights already? Pagara has a long way to go, and like Banal and Melindo, will not be rushed into anything.
But the boxer who deserves all the kudos for a great start n 2010 is Z “The Dream” Gorres. Up against a bigger battle than most boxers won’t ever face, Gorres is determined to come home in good shape. And the great news is how some Pinoys (and Americans) in Las Vegas have come out to help Gorres. With prayers and the support of all those good Samaritans out there, everything will turn out well for Buchoy. Fight on!
We’ve only had a month of boxing, and we know there’s so much more coming soon. Nonito Donaire’s defense, Gerry Peñalosa’s title eliminator, Ciso Morales’s challenge, Rodel Mayol’s title defense, Michael Domingo’s crack at a world championship, Marvin Sonsona’s attempt to win a second world title, Bert Batawang’s title eliminator.
Loaded is boxing, isn’t it?
January 31, 2010
Boxing 2010 Start
The start of local boxing was a mix of good and bad news. The good news is that Milan Melindo and AJ “Bazooka” Banal started out the year with impressive wins over foreign opponents. The bad news is that Brian Viloria lost his IBF light flyweight championship to Carlos Tamarra of Colombia. More good news came in the form of Jimrex Jaca’s knock-out win in his comeback campaign. And some not so good news is Jason Pagara’s unpopular majority decision win over his most recent foe. And even more good news is that Z Gorres is slowly but surely making progress, having moved out of the hospital and now undergoing therapy. And how can we “forget” that Manny Pacquiao has “forgotten” Floyd Mayweather and has now set his sights on Joshua Clottey? All of this happened in January alone. Not bad for a start, no? If this were to be a prelude of 2010, it looks like a rough road ahead for boxing with a good mix of ups and downs. We just hope there’ll be more ups then downs.
For Brian Viloria, the loss to Carlos Tamarra had to be a tough pill to swallow. The surprise loss wasn’t part of the script that called for Viloria to do an encore of his sensational 11th round KO win over Ulisses Solis when he won the IBF world light flyweight championship. Coming home to do it was the most logical thing to do, but Tamarra didn’t want to follow the script. Viloria has said that he’ll think about his future in the sport although he has said that he continues to love boxing. Some have called on him to retire, but I don’t think it will be that easy for him to just walk away. One thing that Viloria has to seriously work on is the need to take his fighting to a much higher level. He’s undoubtedly a good boxer, but he isn’t at such a level way above everyone else.
On the other hand, Milan Melindo is an exciting boxer who has had to deal with the “up-and-coming” tag for quite some time now. He seems ripe for a world championship, but the ALA management doesn’t intend to rush him into such a situation. He’s ranked by all world boxing bodies and has to contend with fighting for regional titles for now. With patience, the right network and the right timing, Melindo will get that shot at a world title. AJ Banal has already been tagged as a future world champion, and it sure looks like his path to that direction is just right. No rush, no world title fights yet. Just coasting along, gaining confidence and dealing with different kinds of boxers along the way. Only 21, he isn’t required to go for a world title fight right away.
Jimrex Jaca is an interesting sight to watch as he makes a return to competitive boxing after more than a year off the ring and losing his last three fights. His fifth round KO win over Ramadhan Weriu was a good way to kick off his comeback, but he’ll have to remember that it’s the finish –not the start- that counts most. He can now forget the win, head back to the gym and convince ALA Promotions that he deserves a second fight asap. Jason Pagara is another one of those young boxers with whom you can never be sure about. Is he the next big thing out of Cagayan de Oro? Or is he all hype? Analysts say that he didn’t look very impressive in his majority decision win over Eddy Comaro, and will have a lot of work to do at the gym if he’s to make a serious run at fighting at the international level. Pagara’s dilemma may be a case of people expecting so much from him and the tendency to overrate him is prevalent. Let’s face it. He’s only 17 years old! How many 17-year old boxers out there have logged 22 fights already? Pagara has a long way to go, and like Banal and Melindo, will not be rushed into anything.
But the boxer who deserves all the kudos for a great start n 2010 is Z “The Dream” Gorres. Up against a bigger battle than most boxers won’t ever face, Gorres is determined to come home in good shape. And the great news is how some Pinoys (and Americans) in Las Vegas have come out to help Gorres. With prayers and the support of all those good Samaritans out there, everything will turn out well for Buchoy. Fight on!
We’ve only had a month of boxing, and we know there’s so much more coming soon. Nonito Donaire’s defense, Gerry Peñalosa’s title eliminator, Ciso Morales’s challenge, Rodel Mayol’s title defense, Michael Domingo’s crack at a world championship, Marvin Sonsona’s attempt to win a second world title, Bert Batawang’s title eliminator.
Loaded is boxing, isn’t it?
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