RE-MATCH mi, maski sa ila.
That was what Milan Melindo said when I told that Hekkie Budler has been crying how he was robbed in his fight. Milan, with fresh stitches on both eyes, met the Cebu sports media for a brief press con and a victory party after beating Budler last Sept. 16 in Pinoy Pride 42.
It was a well-deserved party for a hard-earned victory. No question about it.But Budler hasn’t stopped questioning, prompting a challenge from Milan.
“Away mi sa ila, but this time, it should be for his belt,” he said with a smile.
A tantalizing idea and that shows how Milan won’t buckle a challenge.
But, while Budler acts like a lover unable to accept a loss, Milan should move on and look for fresh fish to fry, even if the cry-baby is the IBO champion. Between the IBF and the IBO belts, it’s Melindo’s belt that carries more weight.
Leave Budler and look for new foes.
“Mga Japanese na sad o,” ALA’s PR woman Chelna Locaylocay, who likes Batman, said.
She’s right. I think Milan has achieved a demi-god status in Japan, having pummeled Akaera Yagashi last November in just one round. That would have been equivalent to a visiting Mexican doing the same to our own demi-god who now sits in the Senate.
Ryoichi Taguchi (25-2-2, 11 KOs) holds the WBA belt, Ken Shiro (10-0, 5KOs) owns the WBC version, while Kosei Tanaka (10-0, 6KOs) owns the WBO version. He can have his pick of a Japanese foe and who knows, he may even get the chance to own all four belts?
Milan left early for a personal matter, but Edito Villamor, the head trainer of ALA and Jonas Sultan stayed with us for a bit. Villamor, whose stint in the ring was during the times when weigh-ins were held on the same day, said he wasn’t worried about Milan being a pound overweight.
He said Milan just laughed it off while he was shedding the pound in a sauna and the champ quickly regained some 10 pounds going to fight night.
Sultan, who had the biggest upset so far with his unanimous decision over two-time champion Johnreil Casimero, will have to play the waiting game now that Jerwin Ancajas is set to make a mandatory defense of his IBF belt.
We played billiards with Sultan and the mandatory challenger to Ancajas showed he knows his way around a pool table and admitted he used to stay up until midnight playing pool.
And despite not playing pool for so long, Sultan showed those nights staying up late wasn’t wasted.