Melindo wrests title; Banal also stops foe

CEBU CITY , Philippines – Milan Melindo and AJ Banal gave fight fans that packed the Waterfront Hotel here plenty of reasons to cheer about Thursday evening following their explosive victories over their foreign counterparts.

Melindo knocked down former amateur standout Anthony Villareal of the United States in the opening round to cushion a uanimous 10-round victory and become the new WBO Youth Inter-Continental flyweight champion.

The huge crowd rose to their feet after Melindo caught Villareal with a big right to the jaw and put the American down on the floor. The native of Cagayan de Oro tried but failed to finish off his opponent in the final minute of the opening round.

Villareal, who tipped the scales last Wednesday with a big slice of pizza in his hand, will have to take things more seriously from now on. A late rally was not enough to turn the tide around against Melindo, who stayed undefeated in 20 fights.

“But he was strong in the ring. I kept landing my punches and he kept on coming in,” said Melindo in Filipino as the crowd cheered him on after witnessing a great night of boxing courtesy of Smart/PLDT, ALA Promotions and ABC 5.


“I will continue to work hard,” he added.

Villareal, who landed some very good shots starting on the fifth round, just couldn’t pull off the win even if Melindo started to show signs of slowing down. He said he had the wrong strategy.

“I started too slow and wasn’t really hurt when I went down. I had recovered from that. I should have fought each round the way I fought the final round,” Villareal said inside his dressing room.

Earlier, Banal added spice to the ongoing Sinulog Festival when he knocked out Mexico’s Cecilio Santos in the fourth round of their bantamweight contest and primed himself up to a possible crack at the world title.

“I hope I get it this year,” said Banal, the 21-year-old crowd-favorite from Cebu. His sensational knockout brought smiles on the faces of his benefactors, Tony and Michael Aldeguer.

It was a highly-successful card that Smart/PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, who watched the fight from Manila, is considering bigger boxing promotions, according to his pointman in sports, Pato Gregorio.

“We just found great partners with ABC 5’s Bobby Barrero and chairman Eric Buhain of the Games and Amusements Board, and another great way to help sports,” said Gregorio, who’s looking at a fight that would Venezuelan knockout artish Edwin Valero against any Filipino willing to stand on his way.

In the supporting bouts, amateurs Irish Magno and Adonis Cabalquinto defeated Karina Jane Recaido and Jimmy Vallares, respectively, while Larry “Bon Jovi” Canillas and James Bacon also knocked out their Thai rivals.

Source: Abac Cordero  | Philstar.com

Melindo out to unseat WBC intercontinental champ

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Anthony Villareal, the reigning WBC Youth Intercontinental flyweight champion from the United States, might just pay the price for taking Filipino challenger Milan Melindo lightly.

In yesterday’s official weigh-in at the SM Events Centre here, the 22-year-old Villareal tipped the scales like no other fighter has ever done before, holding on to a giant slice of pepperoni pizza for everyone to see.

He weighed in at 109 lb, way inside the limit of 112 lb, and smiled to the crowd, looking so confident of getting past the Pinoy pug who at 21, unbeaten in 19 professional fights, is considered a bright prospect.

Melindo, who weighed in at 109 1/2 and looked more serious, was not amused with Villareal’s antics.

“Bayaan mo siya (Let him be). Hindi ako natatakot sa kanya (I’m not afraid of him),” said Melindo after the weigh-in as he and his fellow boxers from the ALA stable gorged on spaghetti, boiled eggs and bananas at the center table of the SM foodcourt.


“Maganda ang pakiramdam ko para sa laban na ito (I feel good for this fight),” added Melindo of tonight’s 10-round contest which topbills the “Bakbakan Sa Sinulog” card presented by Smart and ALA Promotions at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino.

Melindo sparred for more than 200 rounds for this fight as his training stretched to three months following a cancellation of a fight supposed to take place a couple of months ago. He shrugged off the possibility of being burned out for this fight.

“Tama lang (It’s just enough),” he said.

In the main undercard, AJ “Bazooka” Banal faces an acid test against Mexico’s Cecilio “Boga” Santos in a 10-round, bantamweight contest.

Banal, whose unbeaten streak was snapped by Panama’s Rafael Concepcion at the Cebu Coliseum last year, vowed to get rid of the 31-year-old Mexican, with 24 wins, 11 losses and three draws.

“Kahit ilang rounds, ready ako sa kanya (I’m ready for him regardless of the number of rounds),” said Banal, 20-1-1, of the fight that should determine whether he truly deserves to be a world champion someday.

Banal smiled as he weighed in at 118 lb while Santos had to take off the last piece of clothing on him to weigh in an exactly 119 lb. The moment he got off the stage, he rehydrated himself with a bottle of pedialyte and a popular energy drink.

The STAR wanted to know if he had great difficulty making weight, but couldn’t get an answer rather than “No English. No English.”

To spice up the event which is part of Smart Communication’s journey into boxing promotion are four other professional bouts featuring James Bacon vs Thitichon Singwancha, Larry “Bon Jovi” Canillas vs Petch Twin Gym, Jojo Entor vs Romnick Hoybia and Jonel Gadapan vs Jayson Inso.

A couple fights featuring standouts from the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines which is headed by Smart/PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan and Ricky Vargas, will kick off tonight’s boxing card.

Source: Abac Cordero  | Philstar.com