MELINDO MISSES A TITLE SHOT AT TAMARA
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 13 Apr 2010
Melindo.
Multi-titled WBC Youth Intercontinental flyweight champion Milan Melindo (20-0, 5 KO?s) has missed a chance to fight Brian Viloria conqueror, IBF light flyweight champion Carlos Tamara (21-4 15 KO?s) for his title.
Insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports learned that Tamara was keen on returning to the Philippines to defend his title against Melindo because of the wonderful manner in which he was treated when he was in Manila for the title fight against then champion Brian Viloria on a Solar Sports promotion at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Tamara was elated over the fact that he was not subjected to a hometown decision and that internationally respected referee Bruce McTavish called it fairly when he stopped the fight with 1:45 to go in the final round although Viloria was well ahead on points at that stage but appeared totally exhausted.
The fight against Melindo reportedly didn't push through because Tamara apparently received a better offer for an optional title defense in Buenos Aires against a seemingly easier opponent in 39 year old Luis Alberto Lazarte of Argentina who has a record of 46-9-1 with 18 knockouts.
Lazarte is rated No. 7 by the IBF and has had six straight wins after dropping a majority decision to Daniel Reyes on a WBO interim title fight on September 26, 2008.
In his last fight Lazarte won a ten round unanimous decision over Raul Eliseo Medina on January 23 this year.
Solar Sports which will promote the return of Viloria in June in Manila with Viloria moving up in weight to fight as a flyweigh had planned a blockbuster double-header and was all-out to support a Tamara-Melindo title fight.
Melindo leaves for Dubai on April 19 to make the first defense of his WBC Youth Intercontinental title against Colombia?s Devis Perez (12-1-1, 6 KO?s) in Dubai on the 23rd.
Also seeing action on the same card is former world title challenger Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista (27-2, 20 KO?s) who is well on the road to making a comeback following an impressive 7th round TKO over Indonesia?s rugged Marangin Marbun last October 16, 2009 on a fight card telecast by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN which will also telecast the Dubai fights where Bautista faces Thai southpaw Saichon Sotompitak (10-1, 5 KO?s).
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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