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THE
striving Boxing World Cup is on track to gain a
much-needed credibility this August.
And if
organizers accomplish that, credit should go to Filipino
businessman Tony Aldeguer for making sure the ambitious
tournament will get its chance of losing its cartel-like
impression.
The
no-nonsense Aldeguer, obviously incensed with the way
the World Boxing Organization (WBO) treated his grand
promotion in Cebu last February, made sure another
organization will take part in the tournament.
In a
recent interview, Aldeguer said he had instructed his
counterparts with Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) to include
at least a title eliminator with another established
organization.
Aldeguer
negotiated for a possible International Boxing
Federation (IBF) super-flyweight title bout for his
prized ward, one-time world crown challenger Z Gorres.
Considered as boxing patron among Cebuano pugs, Aldeguer
was able to convince IBF’s hierarchy to give Gorres a
title eliminator bout for the soon-to-be-filled
super-flyweight throne.
“I
already received confirmation of Gorres’s eliminator
bout. I really wanted him to fight for another title
outside of WBO,” said Aldeguer.
Initally,
Gorres was penciled to battle WBO champion Fernando
Montiel in a rematch as part of the World Cup.
Gorres
lost to Montiel via 12-round split verdict in their
encounter held last February in Cebu.
“We
already beat Montiel. And I’m not crazy to stage a
rematch and allow the judges to screw us again,” added
Aldeguer.
Gorres
will meet Mexican Gerson Guerrero in a 12-round bout to
determine the next IBF super-flyweight challenger in the
World Cup tourney.
The
still vacant crown will be contested by Russian Dimitri
Kirilov and Mexican Ricardo Garcia on June 30 in Russia.
With the
IBF’s inclusion in the World Cup, organizers will have
an added reason to claim that the tournament is a
legitimate venture.
Aldeguer
and GBP executives agreed to include Gorres’s bout as
one of the fights that will complete the much-awaited
“Mexico vs. RP” on August 11 at the Arco Arena in
Sacramento, California.
Aldeguer’s
ALA Boxing Club and GBP, owned by boxing superstar Oscar
de la Hoya sealed a momentous promotional partnership
two years ago.
The pact
makes GBP the American promoter of ALA’s star boxers
which include Gorres and Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista.
Bautista
will headline the World Cup event as he is set to battle
WBO super-featherweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon.
In the
main supporting bout, ex-world super-flyweight king
Gerry Peñalosa vies for the WBO bantamweight tiara
against defending champion Jhonny Gonzales.
Other
pairings will pit Bert Batawang against Francisco Rosas
in another IBF light-flyweight eliminator, while AJ
“Bazooka” Banal trades leather with former world
champion Eric Ortiz. RP bantam ruler Michael Domingo is
also set to meet upstart Miguel Romero in a nontitle
affair.
The
first World Cup, held on October 2005 in Tucson, Arizona
watched by 1,800 paying fans, was won by Mexico over
Thailand that featured four world title fights, all
under the WBO.
There
were claims that
Japan
and Puerto Rico vied to host and challenge Mexico for
the second staging of the tournament but nothing
concrete came out of the supposed talks. |
