MELLIGEN RETAINS PHILIPPINE TITLE IN MISMATCH
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 11 Jul 2007
In another one of the mismatches approved by the Games and Amusements Board, Mark Jason Melligen retained his Philippine junior welterweight title with a seventh round TKO over Jury Noda in Tagbilaran City, Tuesday.
The hard-hitting Melligen, a 21 year old southpaw who improved his record to 8-1 with 7 knockouts was coming off a 7th round KO of Christopher Saluday in Victorias City and proved too good for Noda whose corner wisely threw in the towel after he took a bad beating. It was Noda’s third successive stoppage raising serious questions on how the GAB could approve a title fight of a boxer who had been stopped in his two previous fights.
The unlisted manager of Noda, Australia’s “Promoter of the Year” had earlier cautioned the GAB about approving Noda’s April 13, 2007 bout against undefeated Thai Saddam Kietyongyuth but his concern was ignored since he was not the registered manager of Noda. As expected Noda lost by a third round TKO. Maniatis had said that Noda was hurt in his previous fight against American Charles Bellamy (2-0, 2 KO’s) in Tokyo on January 13 when Noda suffered a second round TKO.
In another obvious mismatch undefeated featherweight Leon Maratas improved his record to 8-0 wuth 3 knockouts over Ronald Postrano who, according to boxrec.com lost his tenth consecutive fight without one single win with five of the ten losses coming by way of knockouts.
In a sidelight to the fight card, internationally respected referee/judge Bruce McTavish was prevented from refereeing in Tagbilaran City by Rolando Mendoza of the GAB office in Cebu because he hadn't reportedly received a memo informing the GAB that McTavish would referee.
McTavish who refereed the big international fight card at the Waterfront over the weekend returned to Manila from Cebu and flew back to Tagbilaran City at the request of popular boxing patron and Mayor, Dan Neri Lim, who invited him to referee some of the main bouts.
The popular New Zealander who makes his home in Angeles City said he had suited up and gone to the venue only to be told much later that he couldn’t referee which, to him, was an embarrassment besides being an unnecessary waste of time.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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