NO RETREAT NO SURRENDER FOR MAYOL
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 24 Nov 2009
Rodel Mayol’s recent success makes everybody think of the old adage that “a winner never quits and a quitter never wins.” And it further reflects himself as an epitome of the very popular slogan “no retreat, no surrender.”
Starting as a struggling amateur boxer in Mandaue City, Mayol won the gold medal in the Palarong Pambansa. He was taken by Antonio Aldeguer when he turned pro and changed manager several times before landing in the Manny Pacquiao camp. He trained under Freddie Roach and he is now the newest Filipino world champion.
Although he successfully won his Philippine and OPBF minimumweight titles both in his first attempts, Mayol was not as triumphant in his effort to annex a world tile to his colorful boxing career. He faltered four times before winning the most coveted world crown.
Mayol won 22 straight bouts before suffering his first professional loss in his first try at the world title. He lost by a unanimous decision to Eagle Den Julaphan for the WBC minimumweight title in Tokyo, Japan on May 6, 2006. Then a year later, he fought Ulises Solis for the IBF lightflyweight title, where he suffered an 8th round TKO at the hands of Solis on July 4, 2007 in Illinois, USA.
He forced Ivan Calderon to a technical draw on June 13, 2009 when the champion suffered a cut due to an accidental head butt in the 4th round, obliging the WBO light flyweight championship to be stopped and be declared a draw. The fight was held at the classic Madison Square Garden, New York.
A rematch was scheduled on September 12, 2009 in Puerto Rico and again an accidental head butt on the champion forced the championship fight to be ceased with the score cards giving the undefeated Calderon the edge to win the technical decision in the 7th round.
On November 21, 2009, Mayor finally won a world title by a 2nd round TKO over Edgar Sosa in Chiapas, Mexico. On his fifth attempt at the crown, Mayol this time did not fail his countrymen.
But the Mayol victory was full of controversies. He head butted Sosa in the 2nd round flooring him on the process and inflecting a cut above his cheek. The referee sensed it as illegal and deducted a point from Mayol.
When the action resumed, Mayol sent Sosa to the canvas and relentlessly attacked the Mexican chmapion, forcing the referee to stop the fight. Sosa, who was later hospitalized due to a cracked cheekbone resulting from the head butt, filed a protest with the WBC to amend the decision to a "no contest."
Mayol, who improved his record to 26-4-1 with 20 KO wins, is more than willing to give disgruntled Sosa a rematch to prove that the victory was no fluke. Mayol does not want to retreat from the foe’s sourgraping and does not want to surrender his reputation just to be called an “accidental winner.”
The dethroned champion fought ill-prepared and his energy seemed drained due to forced reduction in weight. Clearly, he took Mayol for granted because of the Filipino’s failure to win the title in four previous attempts.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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