Melindo 100% Confident of Capturing Another World Title When He Challenges WBC Champ Ken Shiro on Oct 7 in Yokohama
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 27 Sep 2018
CEBU ? Former IBF world champion Milan 'El Metodico' Melindo is fully confident of becoming a world champion again when he challenges WBC world flyweight champion Ken Shiro on Oct. 7 in Yokohama, Japan.
Although Melindo's trainer Edmund Villamor gave his ward an 80% chance of defeating the Japanese, Melindo, who had 40 fights under him and all his three losses were during world title fights, gave himself a 100% chance of defeating Shiro who had only 13 fights in his professional career.
?I will use my vast experience to defeat Shiro. I am 100% confident of winning this fight and I will make sure I'll win this fight,? Melindo, 30, told local scribes during a send-off presscon at the Summit Hotel here along Fuente Osme?a Circle Thursday afternoon.
As to why the WBC No. 5 ranked Melindo was handpicked by the WBC champ, ALA matchmaker Edito Villamor said that Milan has fought twice in Japan on national television ? first against popular long time Japanese champion Akira Yeagashi on May 21, 2107 whom Melindo stopped in the very first round and against WBA champion Ryoichi Taguchi in a unification fight last Dec. 31, 2107 whom Melindo lost by unanimous decision.
Milan 'El Metodico' Melindo (C) and his trainer Edmund Villamor and ALA matchmaker Edito Villamor answer questions from the Cebu media during Thursday's press conference at The Summit Circle along Fuente Osme?a in Cebu City.
?They will be able to sell Milan on Japanese TV. I think that's why they handpicked him,? Villamor said. ?Also if they'll beat Milan, Shiro's stock will surely rise. So they took the risk. They probably saw something in Milan that made them believed Shiro will beat him but we are very confident of our chances of winning this fight.?
Edmund Villamor said that Shiro is a good boxer and they expect the Japanese to use his agility to do a hit and run tactic against Melindo. ?That's what we've been preparing in the gym because we know Shiro is going to box against Milan. And we're ready to disrupt his style when he does that,? Villamor said.
?The boxer who is able to dictate the tempo of this fight ? to force the other boxer to fight the style of his opponent, wins this fight,? Melindo said.
Melindo, who had trouble making weight in his last fight against Taguchi, said he has no problem this time. ?The WBC rules of having a 30-day weighin and then a 7-day weighin before the fight helps me regulate my weight,? Melindo, who weighed in at 118 lbs during the 30-day weighin last Sep. 7, said. He is scheduled to make the 7-day weighin on Monday at the Cebu GAB office and should make no more than 112 lbs, 4 lbs over the flyweight weight limit 108 lbs.
Melindo (37-3-0, 13KOs) first challenged for a world title against then WBO and WBA world flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico on July 27, 2013 in Macau where he lost by unanimous decision. Two years later on May 30, 2015 in Mexico, Melindo fall short when he lost to Mexican IBF light flyweight champion Javier Mendoza. Finally Melindo captured the Interim IBF world light flyweight belt when he defeated Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr on Nov. 26, 2016 in Cebu and captured the full title with the shock dismantling of Akira Yaegashi on May 21, 2017 in Tokyo. Melindo defended the title once against Hekkie Budler of South Africa on Sep. 16, 2017 in Cebu before losing it to Ryoichi Taguchi last new year's eve.
Shiro (13-0-0, 7KOs), 26, captured his current belt by defeating then defending champ Ganigan Lopez of Mexico in Tokyo on May 20, 2017 and had successfully defended it thrice ? against Pedro Guevarra, Gilberto Pedroza and a rematch with Lopez last May.
A loss here by the Japanese will not be the end of the world for him as he has time on his side to rebuild his career and at 5'5? in height, he could easily go north to campaign in the heavier division. A loss by Melindo however, especially if it's a bad one, could spell the doom of his stellar career.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.
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