Rodel Mayol to defend belt against Omar Romero

WBC light flyweight champion Rodel Mayol avoided losing his title after agreeing to face Omar Niño Romero for his mandatory title defense.

Mayol, who won his belt last Nov. 21, 2009, will face Romero on Feb. 27 in Mexico.

Philboxing.com reported last Thursday that the WBC has given Mayol “eight days to comply with his defense agaisnt Romero or the world title will be declared vacant.”

Mayol, who is being handled by Manny Pacquiao confidant Michael Koncz, earlier wanted to make his first defense in the undercard of the Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey fight in Dallas on March 13.

The Mandaue City-based fighter won his first world title on his fifth attempt, stopping Mexico’s Edgar Sosa in two rounds last November.

Mayol is 26-4 with 20 KOs and all his losses came in world title bouts. The 33-year-old Romero is 28-3-1 with 11 KOs.

He won the WBC light flyweight belt from Brian Viloria on Aug. 10, 2006 but failed a drug test in his second bout against Viloria three months later.

He stopped fighting for two years and lost his comeback to Juanito Rubillar.

He had two more fights before winning the WBC light flyweight eliminator against Rubillar in June last year.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao got another milestone this week as he got into Businessweek.com’s list of the 100 Most Powerful Athletes.

Pacquiao, who is the current pound-for-pound No. 1, made it at No. 72 and was the highest rated boxer in the list.

Others in the list are Floyd Mayweather Jr., at 91 and Shane Mosley at 93. Both are potential foes of Pacquiao.

“While Americans have pushed boxing away from the spotlight, Pacman is an international star and a must-see TV. His lightning-quick punch combinations have helped him become the first boxer to win seven titles in seven different weight divisions,” Business.com wrote on Pacquiao’s profile.

It also listed Pacquiao’s earnings at $39 million.

Tiger Woods, who has taken an indefinite leave from golf, tops the list, while NBA star LeBron James is second. Phil Mickelson is third, baseball player Albert Pujols is
fourth. Others in the top 10 are Peyton Manning, Dwyane Wade, Michael Phelps, NFL’s Adrian Peterson, Shaquille O’Neal and Lance Armstrong.

According to Businessweek.com, those in the list “not only dominate their sport, but also have the presence and personality to help sell billions of dollars’ worth of goods and services every year.”