PETALCORIN LOOKS FORWARD TO ANOTHER BIG FIGHT
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 15 Aug 2015
GEN.SANTOS CITY ? Unmindful of the punishing heat, Randy Petalcorin (23W-1L-1D,18KO?s) went through his afternoon workout inside the Sanman gym, keeping himself ready for another ring battle.
The WBA interim light flyweight champion is a natural for his weight division and he doesn?t bloat in between fights.
?I don?t have a scheduled fight yet,? Petalcorin told this writer yesterday afternoon in an interview. ?I am working on my footwork. It?s one of the things where I need to improve.?
The 23 year old southpaw has fought overseas four times, the last two on the Chinese mainland.
?Beating Walter Tello was my best fight so far,? Petalcorin said, ?I got to show my skills because the fight didn?t end early.?
His seventh round TKO win over the Panamanian last August 26, 2014 gave Petalcorin the WBA title. What made the fight more special was that Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao was watching inside Shanghai?s Mercedes Benz Arena.
Eight months later Petalcorin was in the Capital Arena of Beijing, where he stopped Ma Yi Ming in the opening round, dropping the Chinese boxer thrice in 1 minute and 46 seconds.
?I did not expect the fight to end right away,? He recalled, ?He looked to be in great shape during the weigh-in and I knew he trained hard. I got lucky I caught him early.?
Top photo: Petalcorin poses at the Sanman Gym in General Santos City Friday.
Petalcorin lands the knockout punch against Tello.
Manager and promoter Jim Claude Manangquil said that it was pleasant surprise that the Chinese boxing fans at ringside approached them for photos after they left the ring.
Petalcorin is the number one challenger to the regular WBA world champion Ryoichi Taguchi (22W-2L-1D,9KO?s). He looks forward to a showdown against the Japanese.
?I have studied videos of his fights, He is similar to Ma Yi Ming,? Petalcorin stated, ?I believe I can beat him and be the regular world champion.?
Taguchi won the WBA 108 lb division crown last December by beating Alberto Rossel of Peru by unanimous decision in Tokyo. The 28 year old Taguchi has defended his belt once, by 8th round TKO against Thai Kwanthai Sithmorseng.
Ring magazine ranks Petacorin at number 4 with Taguchi at number 2 among the world's top light flyweights. The lineal champion is another Filipino, Donnie Nietes.
Petalcorin cites another Thai, Samartlek Kokietgym, whom he beat for the PABA title three years ago, as his toughest opponent. ?That fight lasted twelve rounds.?
Petalcorin studied the Korean martial art Taekwondo at nine years old but he found it difficult. He shifted to boxing a year later. ?A neighbor, who is a former boxer, invited me to try boxing. One of brothers also took up boxing but he stopped.? He said, ?I spent four years as an amateur in the Almendras gym. I won a bronze in a national tournament representing my province.?
Just like most Filipinos, he plays basketball to keep himself in shape. Petalcorin didn?t finish high school but he said he would have wanted to have an office job and be a manager if he finished college.
His favorite boxer is of course Manny Pacquiao but he names Floyd Mayweather as his second choice. ?I really enjoyed that fight because they are two of my favorite boxers.?
Pacquiao showed the world that all a Filipino boxer needs is half a chance. Petalcorin is waiting for another similar opportunity.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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