MELLIGEN IMPRESSIVE, NO, QUITE IMPRESSIVE ON HIS PPV DEBUT TKO ZEPEDA IN THE 4th OF THE PINOY POWER 2 SHOWDOWN
By Rod Mijares
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 17 Aug 2009
LAS VEGAS -- Melligen’s successful PPV debut by 4th round TKO against the veteran Ernesto Zepeda of Mexico at the Pinoy Power 2 boxing event held on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at The Joint of The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino provided an opportunity for Melligen to showcase his ability if not his knockout power to boxing fans worldwide. His short work of Zepeda is reminiscent of the spectacular Pacquiao-Hatton fight that still fresh in the minds of many.
If it ended as a decision rather than a TKO in the 4th round, Melligen’s first pay-per-view fight could have been set aside to oblivion in the closet and not leaving a remarkable place in history for the fans to digest and talk about. The way he fought was more of scientific with careful calculation of the opponent’s ability to throw and absorb punches and his ability to avoid those punches and defend himself successfully. Besides, as his trainer Tony Martin said, his knockout power is already innate in him and he has only to defend himself and defend well. Thus, etching a mark only champions and future champions possess and carve the name “Mighty” Mark Melligen to the minds of boxing fans who appreciate his ability to bring down his opponents or provide quality performance and entertain boxing fans in the process.
As Tony Martin said before the fight, “we would play by the ear during the first and second round and would go from there.” True to his word, Melligen executed their game according to plan as designed by his trainers, Edito Villamor and Tony Martin. Then, the world was treated to a Melligen offensive like a work of art with a barrage of combination in the head and body during the 3rd and 4th round until the knockdown where there was still plenty of ammunition in reserve.
In fact, during the first Melligen offensive in the 4th round, Melligen stopped for a moment as if looking for the referee. When I interviewed him after the fight, “Naaawa na ako sa kaniya dahil marami na siyang tama at hindi na siya sumusuntok. Gusto ko ng ihinto ng referee and laban. (I pitied him as he was continuously absorbing my punches without punching back anymore. I wanted the referee to stop the fight),” Melligen said. And the rest was history.
I asked him what he was saying after the fight that was being drown by the noise. “Sa mga taga Barangay Pahanocoy sa Bacolod at sa mga ALA Boys sa Cebu, maraming salamat. (To all my neighbors in Barangay Pahanocoy in Bacolod City and to the ALA Boxing Boys of Cebu City, Thank you to all of you).”
Edito said he was very satisfied with the performance of Triple “M.” “Most importantly he was able to execute what we have worked hard in the gym during the sparring session. That is, to work on his opponent’s upper body. After the 1st and 2nd round, we told him to set up his jabs then push through with his offense and follow it up with a killer instinct. Just throw those punches with good combinations to the head.”
On the other hand, Tony Martin said that there was still room for improvement. “Melligen has a tendency to pull back after hurting his opponent. After a good combination, he should finish his opponent off. Overall, I was quite pleased with his performance.”
Bob Arum who was all smiles after the fight, became a fan of Melligen. “I am quite impressed of his performance. He fought a real veteran in Zepeda and he overwhelmed him. That is a great achievement and he is a force to be reckoned with. I think you will hear more of Melligen in the future.” When asked if he is thinking of a world championship fight for Melligen right now, Bob Arum said “he is still young. We should not rush him.”
Melligen’s entrance song “Pinoy Bebot Careless Whisper Mix” arranged by Ed Martin, Tony Martin’s son brought the house down and set the tone for Filipino patriotism all throughout the boxing event that was filled by Filipinos from Las Vegas and California.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rod Mijares.
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