BREAKING NEWS: MAYOL GETS TITLE SHOT AT SOSA
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 28 Jun 2007
Former WBC minimum weight title challenger Rodel Mayol gets a crack at light flyweight champion Edgar Sosa on the undercard of the Erik Morales-David Diaz WBC lightweight title fight on August 4 at the All State Arena in Chicago.
In an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today, Joy Ouano who handled Mayol’s career in the past along with American Terry Carter said the fight was arranged by Michael Koncz and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum. Ouano sold the rights to Mayol to Japanese Yasuo Matsuoka but Mayol himself filed an appeal with the GAB to rescind the contract since Matsuoka was unable to meet his obligations and his career was being jeopardized.
Philippine Games and Amusements Board chairman Eric Buhain said he hasn’t decided on Mayol’s case and first wanted to talk to Mayol. Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today learned that Matsuoka who is married to a charming Filipina from Butuan City, Gina Matsuoka has had business setbacks which allegedly affected his ability to pay Ouano the full amount for the rights to Mayol.
Mayol lives with Carter and Ouano at their home in Georgia and has been jogging daily, working out at a nearby gym punching the bag, doing weights and only occasionally getting some light sparring since there were hardly any fighters in the gym. Ouano said Mayol was scheduled to fly to Las Vegas on Friday to step up training at the Top Rank Gym.
Mayol said he is comfortable at 108 pounds and won’t have any problems making the weight. The hard-hitting Filipino (23-1-18 KO’s) who suffered his only defeat in a WBC minimum weight title fight against reigning champion Eagle Kyowa when he lacked proper training and faded in the second half of their fight on May 6, 2006 said he was lucky to get a title shot at Sosa. Mayol reiterated what he told us last month that another chance at a world title was “my dream.” Now that it is coming true Mayol said he doesn’t plan on losing the opportunity.
Mayol expressed confidence he could win because “I have no problems with the weight, I now have more power and will not repeat the mistakes I made in the Kyowa fight. I want to win the title.”
Sosa was originally scheduled to fight Argentina’s 36 year old Luis Alberto Lazarte who has a record of 37-7-1 with 17 KO’s but for some unknown reason that fight appears to be off and Mayol gets the crack at Sosa who won the title via a twelve round majority decision over Brian Viloria last April 14 in San Antonio, Texas on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Jorge Solis bout.
OPBF light flyweight champion Juanito Rubillar who scored a smashing fifth round KO win two Sundays ago over Japan’s Ken Nakajima in Osaka was hoping to get a crack at Sosa. WBC executive secretary Mauricio Sulaiman said he would help arrange the fight saying Sosa would love to defend his title in Manila against Rubillar and requested Rubillar’s promoter to course an offer through the WBC. But the news that Mayol will now fight Sosa means a setback to the efforts of Rubillar to get a title fight.
Mayol is coming off a first round knockout over Japan’sMasatsugu Okada in Yokohama last September 18.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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