THE NEW CHAMP IS HOME
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 13 Mar 2013
CEBU CITY - Merlito Sabillo is back in the Philippines after winning the vacant WBO minimumweight interim world title in Colombia. Together with trainers Edito Villamor and Michael Domingo, the champ went on a media tour visiting the offices of the major news dailies here in Cebu.
The trip back home was exhausting and lasted more than 50 hours but Team Sabillo gamely posed for photos and very enthusiastic in answering questions. Sabillo talked about his fight against Luis de la Rosa.
"Lisud kaayo ang akung away, Pahudtanay ug kaisug, Bisag layo kaayu ang biyahe, nakasukol ko sa bell to bell, give and take." Sabillo told this writer during our afternoon interview. ?It was a very difficult fight. We had to show who is the tougher and braver fighter. I traveled far for that fight but I was able to stay with him during infighting.?
Sabillo?s 8th round TKO win was greeted by an ovation by the Colombian fans. ?The people in Colombia are very friendly. They treated us fairly.? He said.
"I am very happy with this win. I am happy knowing that our countrymen are happy. My hard work in the gym has borne fruit. I would like to thank my trainers Edito Villamor and Michael Domingo for their help. I would like to thank the Aldeguer family for helping me."
?The hard training at the ALA gym really helped me,? he said, ?It was a very long trip to Colombia. This was my first fight overseas. But for the first time, I never experienced nausea during travel. Before when I go back to Bacolod, the bus ride made me sick.?
The 29 year old Sabillo also talked about how he got his start in the fight game, "I started late in boxing. I was 19 years old when I started as an amateur. I was in vocational school, studying to be a practical electrician but my parents were poor. I wanted to help them. So I tried sports."
"I actually tried different sports," Sabillo recalled, "I tried basketball, played in a junior league but I was too small . I tried BMX biking but getting a good bike and spare parts were expensive. I also tried karate, I got a silver medal in one local tournament. But I wasn?t earning anything. I only had a few amateur boxing matches, 8 or 9 fights, before I started as a professional."
"Manny Pacquiao inspired me to box." Sabillo added, "I heard Pacquiao was fighting in the U.S. This was his fight against Emmanuel Lucero, I also wanted to fight and earn money as a pro. I was already twenty four when I turned pro. My trainer back then was Coach Quiman."
Sabillo talked about the assistance he got from ALA Gym patriarch Mr. Antonio Aldeguer. ?Sir ALA has been helping me for a long time even when I was still a four rounder. I even had a chance to train in Bohol in their gym. ALA gave me my first big break when I fought for the OPBF title."
It was on October 8, 2011, when Sabillo made his first appearance on a big ?PINOY PRIDE? fight card and he beat countryman Rodel Tejares for the vacant OPBF minimumweight title in Bacolod City. This was also on the undercard of the WBO world title fight between Donnie Nietes and Ramon Garcia Hirales . After winning his first regional title, Sabillo continued to focus on his training at the ALA Gym in Talamban. Last year, he would fight in two more ?PINOY PRIDE? undercards at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, beating Soffyan Effendi of Indonesia by unanimous decision and Jovel Romasasa by first round knockout.
He credits his success to "Hard training and focus, no barkada, no bisyo, and God's help."
Sabillo (21W-0L, 11 KO?s) is one of the ten boxers who will be honored during the 31st Cebu Sports Awards this March 17 at SM Cebu City. His citation will be for his Oriental and Pacific title. This major road win showed us that he has that special quality needed in a boxer to overcome tall odds even on foreign soil.
(Top Photo - Team Sabillo at the Cebu Daily News Lobby, Below, Merlito Sabillo and trainers Michael Domingo and Edito Villamor with the Cebu Daily News Staff)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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