Monday, July 02, 2007 Big summit of nations on the ring this Saturday
IT will be a total ring war when fighters from far nations converge under one roof in Lee Dong-Gyu’s Boxing Plaza and Sammy Gello-ani’s SGG Sports Promotions joint boxing venture this Saturday at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel Grand Ballroom.
The card, which according to Lee is named Knockout Artists 2, features six Korean fighters, two Thais, two Indonesians and 10 Filipino warriors, is the initial promotion that the BP Entertainment is putting up for Cebu for the rest of the year.
“We have big plans for the Philippine boxing market, especially in Cebu. The Knockout Artists 1 proved to be a successful staging in Korea and we expect that the second edition will exceed what we are expecting,” Lee told Sun.Star-Cebu yesterday.
Wild card
Topping the card is Korea’s prospect, Young Sung Kim, who will be defending his WBO Asia Pacific Jr. welterweight belt against Thailands Somchai Nakbalee for 12 rounds.
Young parades a 12-2-1 win-loss-draw record including four by knockout. His win includes one over Filipino rising star Mark Jason Melliguen last Feb. 9, when he won the WBO regional belt.
Somchai the former Pan Asian Boxing Association (Paba) lightweight champion is not an easy fighter to crack
He won the WBA regional belt by defeating the hard punching Fernando Montilla by knockout on the eight round in July 2005 and had defended the belt twice against Filipino challenger before Dennis Laurente took it away in Chaiyaphum, Thailand in October last year.
More fights
Somchai is on a two-fight slide after also losing to Australian Robert Medley last May for the IBO Inter-continental and IBF Australian welterweight titles by retirement.
Another WBO Asia Pacific duel is between champion Donnie Nietes and Saengpetch Sor Sakulphan, also for 12 rounds.
The Filipino champion, who is holding a 20-1-3, 12 KOs record will be facing an acid test against an equally hard-punching Saengpetch, who carries a 14-3, 11 KOs record.
However, the highly anticipated match-up is between two Cebuanos--Rocky Fuentes of the ALA Gym and Benedict Suico of the Rex “Wakee” Salud for the vacant Philippine flyweight title.
Both fighters pack a knockout punch underneath their gloves with Fuentes carrying an 18-5-2, 11 KOs record while Suico holds a 13-2 slate, including 10 by knockout.
Ironically, the two were teammates during their amateur days before Suico jumped to another gym when they decided to turn professional.
The other Koreans who will see action in this card are Kim Boy Young against Cebuana Judith Subingsubing, in a four-round, first-ever women’s professional boxing bout in Cebu; Jung Sik Umm vs. Darsim Nangala of Indonesia for 10 rounds; Jae Song Lee vs. Saiman of Indonesia for six rounds; Seong Dae Gang vs. Noli Fabroa for six round and Jong Hwa Lee vs. Jimboy Jacinto for four rounds.
Former amateur boxing standouts—the featherweight James Bacon and flyweight Joseph Von Miñoza will now officially leave the amateur ranks to join the professionals.
Bacon is set to trade punches with Joseph Mateo, while Mñoza will slug it out against Tata Galendez, both for four rounds bout. (RCM)
