Juanito Rubillar Gets Big Break Against Giovanni Segura
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Perennial world light flyweight title challenger Juanito Rubillar has gotten another break and will fight Giovanni Segura of Mexico for the WBA bantamweight title in Grand Mayan, Nueva Vallarta, Mexico on Sunday, Manila Time.
Rubillar who was in Los Angeles was scheduled to fly to Mexico after original challenger Sonny Boy Jaro failed to get a US transient visa to Mexico.
Manny Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz told us in a conversation from Mexico early Thursday morning that for some reason Sonny Boy Jaro was denied a transient visa and blamed his manager Aljoe Jaro for “not attending to this when I told him two months ago.”
Koncz said apparently the manager “didn’t want to spend” but while Jaro and Koncz blame each other for the snafu, Rubillar got the break and was flying to Mexico where he last fought WBC champion Edgar Sosa and lost by a 7th round TKO on November 29 last year.
Koncz said he had earlier gotten Jaro a Mexican visa.
Rubillar’s manager Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde said Rubillar “is a full-time boxer and was in training when the call came from Gerry Penalosa for him to step up” and replace the hard-hitting Jaro on the Top Rank card “Latin Fury 10” where Penalosa protégé Michael Farenas will also see action.
Segura won the WBA interim title last March 14 with a 4th round TKO victory over Cesar Canchila, dropping Canchila once in rounds one and two before the referee called a halt in the fourth. Segura has a record of 20-1-1 with 16 knockouts.
The 32 year old southpaw Rubillar has a record of 46-12-7 with 22 knockouts and is coming off an 8th round technical decision loss to Omar Nino Romero in a WBC title eliminator last June 6 after losing in his title shot against Sosa on November 29, 2008.
