Saturday, October 07, 2006
GBP forces Gamboa to give up OPBF belt
By Rommel C. Manlosa
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
WORLD-RATED Z “The Dream” Gorres will climb the ring on Oct. 21 no longer an international boxing champion.
The ALA boxer relinquished the Oriental and Pacific Federation (OPBF) superflyweight title, a day after signing up with Golden Boy Promotions of Oscar De La Hoya.
Gorres, who won the belt last March 18, will headline the SGG Sports Promotions card billed “War in the Ring” against Indonesian Sony Manakane at the Mandaue City Sports Complex on Oct. 21.
“Our contact with the Golden Boy Promotions forced us to vacate the OPBF title, since accepting or promoting fights for Gorres is already out of our hands. So, we have to vacate the title,” said ALA Boys manager Antonio Lopez Aldeguer at a press conference held last Thursday evening at the Casino Español.
Aldeguer already informed OPBF president Frank Quill about the decision, which was accepted by the Australian president of the WBC-affiliated sanctioning body.
Nothing lost
Next week, when the latest OPBF ranking is released, the superflyweight title will be vacant.
However, nothing is lost for Gorres, as his fight with Manakane is only a tune-up fight for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) superflyweight championship match.
“This fight is sanctioned by the WBO as a tune-up fight for Gorres before his mandatory challenge. This fight has to be done on or before Oct. 21, before the official announcement of the mandatory fight between Gorres and (Fernando) Montiel during the WBO Convention,” said promoter Sammy Gello-ani.
Gorres’ camp is willing to undergo a purse bidding if ever both camps don’t agree on some terms.
“If we can win the purse bidding, there is a good possibility that the championship fight will be held here in the Philippines,” added Gello-ani.
Ring records
Gorres—currently ranked WBO No.1, WBC No.5, WBA No.14 and IBF No.4—is carrying a 25-1-1, win-loss-draw record with 11KOs. His opponent, Manakane, the current Indonesian superbantamweight king, has a 9-2-1, 4KOs record.
Fighting as co-main event is the fast rising AJ “Bazooka” Banal, who just got his WBO Asia-Pacific No.2 superflyweight contender rating, against the dangerous Angky Angkota of Indonesia.
Banal, who just passed another acid test last Sept. 23, will be facing a Filipino destroyer, who holds a 17-2, 11KOs ring.
Angkota is the Indonesian flyweight champion and also holds the IB Pan Pacific Light Flyweight title.
He beat ALA Boys Rocky Fuentes by first round knockout, Donnie Nietes by unanimous decision, former world champion Joma Gamboa by split decision, Isidro Lorona, Marvin Tampus and Sonny Boy Jaro.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (October 7, 2006 issue)
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