Tuesday, September 23, 2008 African champ due October 4 By Charles Raymond A. Maxey
WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) international super bantamweight champion Sande Otieno of Kenya will arrive in the Philippines on October 2 for his 12-round championship showdown with a very promising local boy Balweg Bangoyan.
From Manila, Otieno will immediately fly on October 4 to Davao City to fight Bangoyan at the Rizal Memorial Colleges (RMC) Gym on October 10.
Jose Abad Santos Mayor Alexander Wangkay told Sun.Star of Otieno's arrival date. Wangkay, also known as Zander Khan, handles the 21-year-old Bangoyan, called in the local circles as the "Davao Hitman."
The Bangoyan-Otieno clash was originally scheduled in Glan, Sarangani Province, but organizers decided to move the fight to Davao City because of security reasons.
Wangkay said Bangoyan, who is from Davao del Sur, is busy preparing for the fight. Wangkay earlier tapped the services of two sparring partners from Manila to help his ward prepare for Otieno, who is considered a hero in his native land.
The championship fight, dubbed "Ring War in Davao," is being organized with the help of with Davao City Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) president, Davao City Councilor Paolo Z. Duterte. ZK International Promotions is co-presentor of the event.
Wangkay earlier expressed his gratitude to the young Duterte for supporting his promotion.
Bangoyan, who holds an impressive 12-0 win-loss record with eight knockouts, is also scheduled to fight in Dubai in November.
Bangoyan is ranked number 15 by the WBC, while Otieno is ranked number 12.
The "Ring War in Davao" will feature 84 rounds of boxing.
North Cotabato Vice Governor Manny Piñol will also have a boxer featured in one of the undercards of the Bangoyan-Otieno showdown.
