Tuesday, August 07, 2007 Sayson: Mayol fought a losing cause By Homer Sayson Second Overtime
CHICAGO - When Rodel Mayol climbed the ring to challenge the IBF light flyweight championship last Sunday at the All-State Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, he had as much chance as beating Tommy Osmeña for mayor.
Officially, the record would show that Mayol’s quest ended at the 1:13 mark of the 8th round, no thanks to a hellacious right straight from five-time defending champion Ulises Solis.
But the truth is, Mayol lost that battle long before the first shot was fired.
I was in touch with Rodel for a couple of weeks before his title challenge. I spoke to him extensively about his training, his managerial woes, and his boxing future. What I discovered were horrifying.
Mayol took the Solis fight on a month’s notice, which meant he didn’t have the required eight-week training camp. And he fought at 108 pounds, three pounds north of his natural fighting weight.
But why did he take the assignment despite such handicap?
Well, Rodel hadn’t fought in 11 months. The inactivity was burning a hole in his pocket. No fight, no pay. And with a wife and a four-year old son to feed, Mayol simply couldn’t resist the championship purse, which was either $25,000 or $30,000, depending on who you ask.
Mayol lacked sparring activity. It was scarce to find 108-pounders at the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas where he trained.
Often, he had to spar with his roommate Mercito Gesta, who is a bloated 130-pound super featherweight.
Sadly, nutrition was also an issue. Billeted at the Budget Suites on 3655 W. Tropicana Ave., Mayol and Gesta had to fend for themselves. Food, they said, was delivered every two weeks or so. At times, they’d only have cereal for breakfast as they’re too tired to cook after jogging in the sweltering Nevada desert.
After the official weigh-in last Friday at the Chicago Hilton, sportsman Rolly Hiso, the Chicago-based Philboxing.com correspondent, brought “Tinulang Manok” and several Filipino delicacies for Mayol and Gesta. They ate like abandoned street children.
So there you go. Mayol was under-trained and undernourished.
His defeat wasn’t an “upset” as some reporters label it. To those of us who were aware behind the scenes, Mayol’s fall was a feared expectation. Rodel came to fight with a rusty snub-nosed .22 caliber pistol. Solis had an AK-47 with a full-clip.
When Solis was pummeled in the 6th round and was nearly knocked out, some writers blasted Mayol for not “finishing the job.”
Trust me, Mayol could smell the IBF belt. He tried to load up on a groggy Solis. But there was just nothing left. Beginning in the 7th round, Mayol told me his legs were getting heavy, his arms were weary, and his breathing was labored.
And no, Rodel didn’t get “careless.” He got clocked because he was too exhausted. He was melting like a burnt candle in the 8th round. He was meek and harmless, naked and vulnerable against the super-fit and powerful Solis.
I still believe, deep in my heart, that Mayol will be a champion someday. For that to happen, though, he must be properly trained and adequately nourished. Talent and skill can only go so far in a sport as physically-demanding as boxing.
And Rodel must emancipate himself from the managerial chains of Yasuo Matsuoka. Rodel needs a manager who will love him beyond the 30 percent cut, someone who will look after him in and out of the ring.
Out there in Los Angeles, fighters from the ALA stable live in their own apartment. They have their own transportation to take them to training, doctor’s appointments, etc. And there’s always Edito Villamor overseeing things, looking out for the slightest wrinkle.
Rey “BoomBoom” Bautista, Z Gorres, AJ Banal, Michael Domingo et al, live in an environment that is conducive to success.
It’s an atmosphere perfect for Rodel Mayol
The question is: Does Rodel Mayol have Michael Aldeguer’s phone number?
