Jaca opponent John Nolasco is no push over
By Ron Galarpe
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 19 Jan 2006
Jimrex Jaca thought that his dream of becoming part of a big boxing event would turn into sour as he almost failed to secure himself a visa to travel to America. It became a problem of some sort but the real problem now of Jimrex Jaca could be his opponent John Nolasco of the Dominican Republic. Maybe our fellow Filipino fans would not care about Jimrex’s opponent, after all, he is just a replacement to original Jaca foe Ivan Valle who was feared as a big puncher with lots of experience than Jaca.
Personally, I hope Jaca would be well prepared against Nolasco because I found out that this fighter from the Dominican Republic is one tough hombre having experienced battling some of the well regarded fighters in America.
John Nolasco is a 30-year-old orthodox fighter with a record of 15-4-4 with 6 KOs. Nolasco’s record may not look impressive but part of his 23 fights in the super featherweight division were tough combats with some of the hottest prospects in the 130- pound division like Steven Luevano, Martin Honorio and Jason Litzau. Nolasco has never been knocked out and all of his losses came via decisions.
I was fortunate to see John Nolasco in action when ESPN showed here in the Philippines Nolasco’s fight with Jason Litzau.
For everyone to know, Jason Litzau is highly regarded as a bright hope in the 130-pound division and many has seriously expected Litzau to be a champion in the future. But when he fought Nolasco last July 2005, the expectation on Litzau seemed to have diminished a bit.
Jason Litzau won his match against Nolasco but not after a hard-earned split decision win. Fact is Nolasco floored Litzau in the seventh round that made the outcome of the fight not popular among fight fans who saw the action live. In that fight with Litzau, I saw Nolasco as very competitive and has a decent boxing skill. He never seemed to be intimidated by the credentials of the young Litzau.
I had a long distance phone interview with Rex “Wakee” Salud who was with Manny Pacquiao last Monday and I asked him if they knew that John Nolasco is a tough fighter. He told me that they do not know much of Nolasco but heard that the guy is tough. I asked if he had seen any fight tapes of Nolasco and he said none.
However, Wakee Salud assured me that his boy Jimrex Jaca is at the best shape of his career and wants to deliver a strong statement that the Filipino fighters are for real.
Jaca also trains at the wildcard gym but is being handled by a certain guy named Eric, a black man who is a disciple of Freddie Roach.
Wakee said that win or lose, he expect Jaca to show a respectable performance. He further added that in case Jaca wins, he would immediately find another fight for his ward in America before his visa expires in April.
Jimrex Jaca is more of a boxer than a brawler who possesses quick combinations with a finishing uppercut. His problem is exposure that I hope fighting in a big boxing event would not be a big factor against him.
Wakee Salud wished to thank Senator Dick Gordon and Congressman Monico Puentevella for helping them in securing the visa for Jaca.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ron Galarpe.
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