By James Blears
Humberto Soto and Francisco Lorenzo are set to re-slug it out for the WBC interim super featherweight belt this Saturday on the sun kissed island paradise of Cozumel, a ferry ride away from Cancun, Mexico.
It's aptly being billed as "Payback Time," and there's more than a score to settle. The event is being organized by entrepreneur, newspaper owner and promoter - Pepe Gomez. Along with Don King, Pepe arranged the Peter vs. Maskaev clash in Cancun last March.
"Payback Time" is the seventeenth world title fight which has been held in Mexico this year. The previous high water mark reached 15, back in 1993.
Againstthe backdrop ofthe Caribbean Ocean and leaping dolphins at the Chankanaab Center, the two squared up, swopping barbed pleasantries with more than a residue of mutual irritation. It's all been welling up, following the controversial four round fiasco that happened in July in Las Vegas.
Soto had walloped Lorenzo from pillar to post, but then got disqualified for supposedly hitting Lorenzo after he hit the deck- something which replays proved didn't happen. The WBC stepped in to change Lorenzo's win to a no-contest, but that didn't conclude the unfinished business.
Lorenzo, who still insists what happened then was illegal, is prepared to concede that Soto can clobber. But he also claims to have a secret plan to neutralize this on Saturday night, part of which involves considerably tightening his defense, but he's also vowing to fight like a warrior.
Normally stocial, Soto was visibly nettled by Lorenzo's on site taunts, challenging him to have the balls to brawl. He also retorted: "All fights can be hard, but preparation is the security, and I feel very sure, I'll do better than before.
"He's said things that arent true, but we'll now see what'll happen up in the ring. My prediction is I'm going to fight!"
