Unbeaten Balweg in chance of a lifetime
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 06 Mar 2010
MANILA, Philippines - Unbeaten Balweg Bangoyan of Digos, Davao del Sur, said yesterday he’s ripe and ready to take on WBC superbantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka in a 12-round title bout at the Nihon Budokan, Tokyo, on April 30.
Bangoyan, 23, is now training in Digos and will leave for Manila on Monday to engage in serious sparring. He expects to land in Tokyo a week before the fight with trainers Frederick and Junius Wangkay.
“This is a chance of a lifetime,” said Bangoyan, the oldest of five children. “Although it’s my first fight abroad, I’m not nervous. I’ve watched some of Nishioka’s fights on the internet and I think he’s beatable. He’s just an average fighter, not exceptionally strong or skilful. He’s the type who stands up and waits for his opponent to come in. He’s not that fast. If I use my brains and power, I think I can take him.”
Bangoyan, a two-time WBC International titlist now ranked No. 11, said he’s dedicating the fight to Jose Abad Santos town Mayor Zander Khan, his manager. Khan took over a stable of some 20 fighters from his uncle Armand Bangoyan, a retired boxer who was killed in an ambush in 1985.
“I owe everything to Mayor Zander,” said Bangoyan. “He takes care of me and my family. My father Felix is employed in his security staff.”
One of Khan’s fighters Arman Picar battled Julio Cesar Vasquez for the WBC lightwelterweight crown and lost by a second round knockout in Las Vegas in 1994. Bangoyan’s title shot is only the second for a Khan fighter.
“I like Balweg’s chances,” said Khan, running for governor of Davao del Sur under Joseph Estrada’s Pwersa Ng Masa party in the May elections after serving three straight terms as Mayor. “Wakee Salud and Joe Koizumi made it happen. I’m grateful to both of them for giving Balweg this crack. Nishioka is 33 and I think he’s over the hill. Balweg is at his peak and he’s working very hard in the gym.”
Bangoyan was training for a bout against Korea’s Jong Won Jong in Digos when he got a call offering the title shot.
“Balweg didn’t want to disappoint the hometown fans and still pushed to fight Jong but the WBC refused to allow it because of the possibility of injury which would cancel the Nishioka bout,” explained Khan. “Balweg kept his word to the fans and went on to perform in an exhibition instead. He’s been training for three months now, sparring over 130 rounds, but we’ll make sure he’s not burned out for the fight.”
Bangoyan, whose mother Medelyn Miyake is half-Japanese, said his biggest purse so far was P300,000 for beating Raymond Sermona to claim the vacant WBC International belt last September. His purse for the Nishioka fight will be bigger.
“Nishioka has power so I can’t afford to relax,” he said. “But he’s not Superman. He was dropped by Jhonny Gonzalez in their fight last May but got up to score a knockout. If I keep my focus, I know I’ll win.”
Bangoyan said Luisito Espinosa’s brother Rolando would’ve joined his training team but the 41-year-old succumbed to a heart attack while jogging in Novaliches last week. He is also dedicating the fight to Espinosa.
Nishioka’s southpaw style won’t be a problem, said Bangoyan. “I knocked down Sandie Otieno, who is a southpaw, and beat him on a technical decision two years ago,” he continued. “Otieno was unbeaten before our fight. I had no difficulty breaking down his left-handed style.”
Experience will be on Nishioka’s side. The Japanese turned pro in 1994, eight years before Bangoyan, and has compiled a 35-4-3 record, with 22 KOs. He hasn’t lost in his last 12 outings. Nishioka engaged Thailand’s Veeraphol Sahaprom in four fights for the WBC bantamweight title from 2000 to 2004, losing twice on points and drawing twice. He won the WBC 122-pound title via a 12th round stoppage of Genaro Garcia in January last year and has since repulsed two challengers Gonzalez and Ivan Hernandez. Nishioka has never been defeated by a Filipino and his list of victims includes Reynante Rojo, Rodel Llanita, Joel Avila, Joel Junio and Donaldo Estrella. Fernando Montilla once held him to a draw.
Bangoyan is a relative pro newcomer with a 15-0 record, including seven KOs. The high school sophomore dropout was jailed for street-fighting when he was 16 then decided to make boxing a living. Khan took him in and changed his surname Miguel to Bangoyan to honor his late uncle.
Top photo: Balweg Bangoyan is flanked by teenaged Dutch nursing exchange students after a win in Davao City.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
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