DOMINGO-FRANCISCO ?BATTLE OF WILL & SKILL?
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 23 Sep 2011
The ten round clash between former world interim champion Drian Francisco and highly touted Michael Domingo of the famed ALA Gym is bound to be a battle of will and skill at the Makati Coliseum this evening.
Francisco whose fights we covered on ?The Main Event? during his early years has unfortunately changed his style in recent years since moving out from trainer and former world champion Erbito Salavarria whose style Francisco approximated along with that of former two division world champion Luisito Espinosa.
While his new style which includes ? and his youthful manager Elmer Anuran concedes ? too much showboating, has lost Francisco some of the diehard fans who believed he would emerge as another world champion in the mould of Espinosa.
Although Drian has met with some success, his style of throwing punches from way out and in a roundhouse fashion unnecessarily expends energy especially with the high ratio of lunges and misses which hurts his chances.
Domingo on the other hand is a slightly shorter but far more compact fighter with a solid defense and well calculated punches that find the mark with a minimum wastage of effort.
Francisco probably has an edge in punching power although Domingo doesn?t think so and told us he can handle Drian?s power without too much trouble.
The problem for Francisco will be to break through the defense of Domingo and to avoid being caught by a counter when he charges in with little concern for defense.
Anuran told us Francisco has to be in the best shape mentally to face Domingo who is a resolute, committed fighter who aims to get the job done and re-enter the consciousness of the world boxing organizations while Francisco, coming off his first defeat in Thailand will need to collect his wits and focus in the ring.
Both Francisco and Domingo have predicted a knockout and that nobody will be saved by the bell in the Solar Sports presentation in cooperation with Anuran?s ?Saved by the Bell? outfit.
This could be a career-defining fight for both men which means a lot is riding on the outcome.
Looking ahead at what may well be a close fight we asked ALA Promotions patron Tony Aldeguer whether he would be willing to stage a rematch in one of his highly successful ABS-CBN ?Pinoy Pride? series and he promptly agreed, introducing another element into what is surely going to be an intriguing fight.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Thailand to host WBC 63rd Annual Convention in Phuket in November
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 30 Apr 2025Naoya Inoue vs. Ramon Cardenas Fight Week Events to Stream LIVE on Top Rank’s Social Media Channels
Wed, 30 Apr 2025Raymond Muratalla: "I’m Ready to Show Out on May 10!"
Wed, 30 Apr 2025Training Camp Notes: Undefeated Lightweight Kaipo Gallegos Prepares for Clash with Pedro Castaneda Castro on May 9 in Orlando
Wed, 30 Apr 2025“THE KING OF THE FOUR ROUNDERS” ERIC “BUTTERBEAN” ESCH TO ATTEND 2025 HALL OF FAME WEEKEND
Wed, 30 Apr 2025Action Summary Week Ending 28 April 2025
By Eric Armit, Tue, 29 Apr 2025Butler, Green Show Up on Rockets in 109-106 Win
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Tue, 29 Apr 2025Jerusalem Leads Five Pinoys in Ring's Ratings; Japan Dominates the Lower Weights Class
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Tue, 29 Apr 2025Dableo Second in Sydney Standard Tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Tue, 29 Apr 2025Dreamland: Where Filipino Fists Lit Up San Francisco Nights
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Mon, 28 Apr 2025IM Concio wins Victoria Sports Club Rapid Chess Tournament
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 28 Apr 2025Tapales bags WBC International Silver super bantamweight title
By Lito delos Reyes, Mon, 28 Apr 2025Boston, NY and Minnesota One Win Away; Push Orlando, Detroit and LAL on Brink
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Mon, 28 Apr 2025Sasaki Guns for Japan's First World Welterweight Title, Honor as Asia's Best Asian Boxing Nation
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Mon, 28 Apr 2025Raga beats Bañares in SBA Philippine Open, pockets ₱400,000 cash prize
By Marlon Bernardino, Mon, 28 Apr 2025