MAYOL AND ANOTHER SHOT AT GLORY
By Reylan Loberternos
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 21 May 2009
Tagbilaran City, RP - Once revered as the Philippines? brightest hope for boxing superstardom, No. 4-ranked contender Rodel ?Magnum Force? Mayol (25-3-0, 19 KOs) hopes to push himself back into the limelight as he challenges the universally recognized undisputed jr. flyweight king and WBO light flyweight title holder Ivan ?Iron Boy? Calderon of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. This titular showdown takes place at the historic Madison Square Garden on the 13th of June as a supporting bout of the world welterweight championship clash between Joshua Clottey and Miguel Cotto.
This is Mayol?s third crack at the very elusive world championship diadem. His first attempt was against erstwhile WBC minimum weight champ and Japan-based Thai Eagle Kyowa in May of 2006. Mayol was on his way to bag his first world championship belt, as he dominated Kyowa from the get-go, rocking the champion several times with powerful bombs and sneaking uppercuts, before losing steam during the 2nd half of that epic 12-round encounter and falling short of keeping his record unscathed and becoming a certified world champion.
His second try was against former IBF light flyweight champ Ulises ?Archie? Solis (28-2-2, 20 KOs) of Mexico, who recently lost his belt to Filipino-American Brian ?The Hawaiian Punch? Viloria via 11th round knockout last month. As was the case in his first shot at a legitimate world championship, Mayol showed signs of brilliance in the early goings of the fight, even knocking the champion down (was erroneously ruled as a slip), before absorbing a wicked punch that put the lights out on the challenger and halted the bout in the 8th inning.
These two failed attempts plus a 4th round knockout loss to a relative newcomer in Adrian ?El Confesor? Hernandez (15-1-1, 11 KOs) are understandably the reasons why most boxing scribes and pundits have basically written off the Pinoy slugger. However, these defeats were certainly not because of inferior talent and skill. They were highly attributed to poor preparation and obvious lack of conditioning, as evidenced by Mayol?s gassing out in the later stages of those championship tries. It was also widely known that Mayol fought Hernandez on a week?s notice.
Let?s face it. Mayol was mismanaged in those unfortunate stages of his career. The good news is that that point of his boxing profession is over and done with, hopefully. No less than the sport?s living legend and pound for pound king Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao took the cudgels in helping the 27-yr-old Mayol reach his potentials by taking his compatriot along to join MP Promotions and giving him this second chance... or third, to be precise. Furthermore, celebrated trainer Freddie Roach is reportedly going to supervise Mayol?s corner during this highly anticipated face-off.
Even with all these positive things going Mayol?s way, celebration is still a very long way ahead, especially since he?ll be facing arguably the sport?s most naturally talented boxer. Calderon sports an immaculate record of 32 wins and is widely considered as the best in his class. His incredibly long reach of 63? for his size, coupled with lightning-quick reflexes, definitely makes him an extremely tough nut to crack.
But Mayol and his cohorts need not fret. Though undefeated throughout his boxing career, Calderon is definitely not invincible. This little guy from Puerto Rico is certainly not new to the canvass, as he has suffered two career knockdowns. At 5?4? it also goes that Mayol will enter the ring with an effective reach advantage. Add the fact that Calderon is already at an advanced age of 34, logging a total of 286 grueling rounds that might have finally taken its toll on his 5?0? frame, what presents is a legitimate chance of a major upset for the Pinoy challenger.
This could be it for Mayol. There is no better way and no better place to seek redemption than to beat the best and execute it at the legendary boxing mecca while the whole world watches. Beyond doubt, for a written-off guy like Mayol, this is definitely a legitimate shot at glory!
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Reylan Loberternos.
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