By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Z “The Dream” Gorres is ready for what is expected to be a tough test against Colombia’s relentless puncher Luis Melendez at the Mandalay Bay House of Blues in Las Vegas on November 13, the eve of the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto “Fire Power” showdown at the MGMGrand Garden Arena a few minutes away.

Trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor said the flashy southpaw is “ready to put on a good fight” which the trainer based on his sparring  which he said was “impressive.”

Villamor who is with Gorres who arrived in Los Angeles last Octo9ber 18 and trains at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym  said Gorres’ sparring  partners include a Russian fighter, a Mexican and an Armenian among others and he has so far sparred a total of 50 rounds.

Villamor told us that Gorres weighed 124 pounds and would have no trouble making the 118 pound bantamweight limit for the fight which headlines another exciting Top Rank fight card designed to draw on the large number of Filipino fans who will be in Las Vegas for the Pacquiao-Cotto clash.

The 27 year old Gorres has a record of 30-2-2 with 17 knockouts while the 29 year old Melendez has a record of 26-3-1 with 21 knockouts and is known as a hard puncher who gave Montiel a difficult time before losing by a 12th round TKO on October 4, 2007.  He is coming off a 3rd round TKO win over Rafael Salgado last September 11.

Boxing writers Albert Jimenez Howell and Chris Bronte, reporting on the Montiel-Melendez fight said the 12 round thriller was punctuated with back-and-forth action and knockdowns before Montiel finished  off Melendez late in the final round.

Montiel said after the fight “I knew he was a tough opponent but he was even tougher than I thought he would be. He was like a rubber band. I would hit him and he would  bounce right back.”

On the other hand Gorres who lost a hugely controversial twelve round decision to Montiel in a super flyweight title fight in Cebu in February 2007 is coming off an impressive win over talented Cruz Carbajal who was forced to retire in the sixth round after he reportedly hurt his hand in the fight held in Nayarit, Mexico.

Prior to that Gorres scored a smashing 7th round TKO over

Roberto Carlos Leyva in a fight card at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City to win the WBO Oriental bantamweight title.