Singapore Hosts Two World Boxing Title Fights
By Manny Piñol
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 07 Mar 2012
The tiny nation of Singapore, known all of these years as the business hub of Asia, has started a well-planned effort to become the Far East's sports and entertainment center when the 2,500-room Marina Bay Sands Resort hosts two world boxing title fights on May 5.
World Boxing Association (WBA) Featherweight Super Champion Chris John of Indonesia, undefeated in 44 fights, will defend his title against Japan's Shoji Kimura while one of the Philippines hottest boxing prospects, featherweight Lorenso "Thunderbolt" Villanueva who holds a spectacular record of 24 wins, 23 by knockouts, will face another Indonesian Daud Cino Yordan, three times a world title challenger who has a record of 28 wins, 22 KOs and two losses.
It is a bold move on the part of the Marina Bay Sands, a resort cum casino complex which would really like to be known more as a resort and entertainment center than a venue for high rollers.
In partnership with an Indonesian boxing promotions company headed by a young businessman Raja Sapta Oktohari who promotes both Chris John and Daud Yordan, and Australian boxing promoter Angelo Hayder, Marina Bay Sands hopes that the double world championship, its first involvement in professional boxing promotions, will help develop the image of the sprawling resort as boxing's MGM Grand or Mandalay Bay in Asia.
With the US economy in the doldrums and the most entertaining boxers coming from outside of the North American continent, Marina Bay Sands' muti-million dollar promotional gamble may actually pay off.
This is what most of the boxing countries in the Far East have been waiting for, an alternative venue to Las Vegas which has traditionally been the cradle of world professional boxing.
Top photo: World title contenders Lorenzo Villanueva (right) and Daud Cino Yordan (left) pose with Indonesian promoter Raja Sapta Oktohari at the rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands Singapore.
World title contenders Lorenzo Villanueva (2nd from right) and Daud Cino Yordan (left) pose with Indonesian promoter Raja Sapta Oktohari, ALA Boxing Promotions' Chad Canares and former North Cotabato Gov. Manny Pinol.
The problem of professional boxing in America is that it is not easy for many talented boxers from other parts of the world to appear in the centerstage in Las Vegas.
Take the case of Lorenzo Villanueva, a young fighter who should have been in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao's last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. Visa problems prevented him from flying to the US and appearing in a card that would have allowed boxing fans to see who Villanueva really is.
Except for the few lucky ones including Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, the boxing rings of America are farfetched dreams for most Asian fighters.
The other problem is the time difference between the US and Asia. Most of the fights in Las Vegas, especially those of Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire Jr. and Brian Viloria are staged Saturday nights in the US and aired Sunday morning in Asia.
This has resulted in complaints aired by the Catholic leaders in the Philippines since most people would rather stay home and wait for Pacquiao's fight rather than go to church on a Sunday morning.
Singapore as the new venue for championship boxing is a perfect entree for a sport that has thrived and survived because of revenues out of television broadcast.
This was apparently what was in the mind of Marina Bay Sands management, Raja Oktohari and Hayder when they gathered boxers from all over Asia - Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Thailand, China and Indonesia - to appear in the first ever boxing big event in Singapore.
This is an exciting development for Philippine boxing. With Singapore's proximity to Manila, Filipino boxing fans, including the sports loving congressmen, who make a pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the big fights involving Filipino boxing stars no longer have to travel long hours and spend more money to enjoy boxing.
(Note: This is my first sports column after over two months of absence. In a freak accident early this year, I broke my arm when I slipped in the bathroom of a condotel in Quezon City. The fracture required four metal pins which were drilled into my arm bone to reattach the broken bone. The pins have been pulled out and I would like to thank the young doctors of the Philippine Orthopedic Center, especially my attending physician, Dr. Ryan Itchon, for the excellent work. Being a government hospital, I was surprised to see dedicated and hardworking doctors who served without charging the payments anything. The doctors of the POC are the living proofs that there are real heroes in government service. I am still undergoing therapy but I could start pounding the computer keys now.)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Manny Piñol.
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