FUENTES PULLS OUT OF TITLE DEFENSE VS LANDERO DUE TO A HAND INJURY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 29 Feb 2012
Michael Landero.
The World Boxing Organization has informed the Manila Standard that WBO minimumweight champion Moises Fuentes has pulled out of his scheduled title defense against former Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation champion Michael Landero in Tijuana, Mexico on Saturday after suffering a hand injury during sparring.
Instead, Landero will now face two-time former world champion Raul ?Rayito? Garcia who won the title with a controversial split decision over IBF champion Florante ?Little Pacquiao? Condes in his hometown of La Paz, Mexico on June 14, 2008 after being dropped by Condes in the 12th round.
Garcia lost the WBO title to Fuentes by a twelve round split decision on August 27, 2011 after which he moved up to light flyweight and scored a 6th round TKO over Erik Ramirez who had earlier lost to Donnie Nietes on February 28, 2009 by a unanimous twelve round decision after being dropped by Nietes in rounds 1, 5, 9 and 12.
Well known TV boxing analyst Moy Lainez of the ?In This Corner? gym of Rommel Nazario which handles Landero said perhaps Fuentes realized after picking the No. 8 ranked Landero for a voluntary defense that the Filipino was no pushover and claimed injury.
However, according to a report on boxingscene.com, Fuentes claimed he suffered the injury when he connected on the head of an unnamed sparring partner and immediately felt pain and then a lot of discomfort.
Fuentes said his knuckles swelled up and the doctor told him he couldn?t fight on Saturday forcing the promoter to get Garcia to replace Fuentes.
Lainez said Garcia is a good fighter and Landero is expected to have a tough fight on his hands. The disappointment of traveling all the way for an eagerly anticipated chance to win another world title for the Philippines may also tell on Landero, mentally.
Landero has been training since January because he had a fight scheduled in Thailand in February but the fight was called off in view of the world title fight offer from the promoters of Fuentes.
Lainez said Landero has been sparring with hard-hitting Denver Cuello and has a ?good chance especially if the fight takes place in Tijuaana and not Mexico City? where the high altitude affects the Filipino boxers. Lainez said Tijuana is very much like San Diego, California which is comfortable for Filipino fighters.
Landero won the OPBF title with a 9th round TKO over Kenichi Horikawa on May 9, 2010 and successfully defended the title with an 8th round TKO over another Japanese Yasutaka Kuroki on September 25, 2010.
He relinquished the title when he fought Southj Africa?s Hekkie Budler for the IBO world title but lost a unanimous twelve round decision on September 24, 2011. Landero is a fine boxer who is an excellent counter-puncher and moves well but lacks solid punching power unlike a fighter like Condes, the former Filipino world champion.
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