By Rey Danseco
MEXICO CITY – Filipino challenger Juanito Rubillar is like a superstar here. Mexicans mobbed Rubillar upon his arrival in long and tiring flight from Los Angeles, California where he trained for one week in preparation for his mandatory title shot against WBC light flyweight champ Edgar Sosa on Nov. 29 at the 18,000-seat Arena Mexico.
Leading media men and television station Televisa’s crews were there at the Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México and asked the 31-year old Manila-based fighter his thoughts and predictions in his bout against Sosa, who will put his title on the line for seventh straight time.
“I trained for three months for this fight, including one-week in La Habra (California) and I believe, I will win either by knockout or decision,” said Rubillar. “I will bring back the WBC belt at 108 pounds to the Philippines where it belongs.”
At the airport, Mexican adult and kids as well as other passengers and employees asked Rubillar for photo ops and autographs. Most of them wishing him luck.
The soft-spoken and humble Filipino needed almost 8-hour to get to Mexico after air traffic at Benito Juárez International Airport caused an hour delay in his stopover in Guadalajara, where airport employees also mobbed him and asked him to pose for cameras.
An airport employee in Guadalajara almost successfully guided Rubillar to miss his connecting flight of Mexican Airlines when he told that he should wait in the second floor lobby of Aeropuerto Internacional de Guadalajara when in fact he must go directly to gate 9. Rubillar’s ticket has asterisk instead of clear number of gate direction that he must go.
“I feel pain in my back and I’m a bit tired,” said Rubillar, who ate his dinner of chicken soup and assorted fruits past 9pm and retired past 10pm at the $109-rate double bed room at Hotel Benidorm, located at the heart of the capital and is five minutes drive going to the venue of card called ““Batalla en la Capital III”.
Before he boarded at the Tom Bradley International Terminal in Los Angeles International Airport, Rubillar tipped the scale at 110-lbs.
“He has no problem in weight,” said trainer Roel Morata.
While in California, Rubillar stayed at the house of former Philippine champion Ramon Elorde – younger brother of the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde Jr. -- in Rowland Heights. He worked out at La Habra Boxing Club in La Habra, California.
“Rubillar is a complete fighter now, he can box, he can fight,” said Morata, who was also in Rubillar’s corner when he beat former champion Omar Nino in the final eliminator via split decision last June at Palacios de los Deportes here.
Sosa won the vacant WBC light flyweight by besting former champion Brian Viloria by unanimous decision of April 14, 2007 and has defended it six times since then. In his last defense against former OPBF and Philippine champion Sonny Boy Jaro, he picked himself up from a knockdown in the ninth round after he was caught by a countering left hook. Sosa spitted his mouthpiece while the referee was on his back.
The 29-year old champion is also comfortable in getting the weight. He tipped the scale at 51.200 kilograms or 112 lb and 14.02 oz last Saturday.
Rubillar becomes a household name here after he gave Jorge “Travieso” Arce hard times in their bouts for the WBC interim light flyweight title fight and the regular WBC light flyweight championships.
In his previous appearance in Mexico, Rubillar took a split decision to replace Nino as the No. 1 contender and he also earned the right to face Sosa in a mandatory fight.
