IAN MAULEON LOSES IN PRO DEBUT
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 24 May 2008
Montebello, CA:- There are not too many Fil-Am boxers from the greater Los Angeles area in the recent past. So, when one comes out of the woodwork, it is always interesting to see how well he will do.
And, when one comes out with a baggage like Ian Mauleon, we only wish that he will succeed in boxing just so he can erase ghastly memories of the past.
Mauleon was born and raised in a rough area in Oakland, California where gangs were prevalent. It was no surprise that his family got affected. A young brother who was barely 16 years old was killed in a drive-by shooting. Another spent many years in jail.
Mauleon, in an effort to avoid the same fate drifted towards boxing and eventually moved to the Los Angeles area to pursue his dreams.
Being new and unknown in the area, he simply blended with the boxing crowd and quietly pursued his new career. Had he not come to the offices of this writer to request for a professional-grade custom made mouthguard, we would not know that he even existed. And, we would have never found out that he is a Pinoy, let alone that he was fighting his first pro fight.
But we know him now.
Thus, we made a great effort to secure press credentials for the fight, see his pro debut, take some photos and write a story. After all, that is the least we can do to support a fellow Filipino.
Well, Ian Mauleon (0-1-0 ) didn?t quite make it. He lost in his pro debut.
He lost via a UD on a hard-fought 4-rounder from an opponent who for all intents and purposes, was much more experienced than him. His opponent, Thomas Rittenbaugh (3-2-2) of Las Vegas, Nevada already had 6 previous fights.
Mauleon, in spit of the defeat showed some promise as a future star. But, he has tons of work to do at the gym to reach that goal. His style is fairly good, owing perhaps to his background in amateur boxing where he compiled a record of 47-9-0. But he tends to telegraph his punches and lacks the right amount of ?work rate? that would impress judges.
However, the potential is undoubtedly there. If he continues to have great coaching and dedicates endless efforts to the sport, there is no telling how far the kid can go.
In the meantime, right before the fight, it was nice to note that the fears and anxieties that always follow a fighter who is about to embark in this sport did not seem to be evident in him. From where I was on the ring side, I saw that plainly in his eyes. He was all set to do battle. He was loose but clearly focused.
With his first pro now on the books, Mauleon has forever broken free from his amateur days. All he has to do now is concentrate on the tasks and goals ahead.
Oh yes, perhaps it will also do him good if we remind him of the old adage that goes: - ?Train, train, and train... and when you feel you had enough, train and train some more!?
With that, he would sooner or later start stacking up the ?W?s? and maybe someday we may have another boxer of Filipino lineage to follow around and admire for his skills and bravado.
So be it.
Top Photo: Fil-Am Ian Mauleon (L) squares off with Thomas Rittenbaugh of Las Vegas in his pro debut.
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