By Jake Donovan
Upon suffering a shocking points loss to Michel Rosales late last year, welterweight prospect Mark Jason Melligan could’ve simply faded off into obscurity and few would’ve questioned, or perhaps even noticed.
Instead, the Filipino southpaw is determined to prove that the aforementioned setback was nothing but a fluke. His past two performances remain proof positive, more notably what he accomplished on Saturday night, pitching a ten-round shutout over Norberto Gonzalez.
The bout served as the main event of the most recent installment of “Top Rank Live,” which aired live from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Melligan set the tone early, driving Gonzalez into the ropes with a well-placed straight left. Gonzalez shook off the blow, but opted to box for the remainder of the round and was deliberate in his delivery. Melligan was given ample time to play defense and set up his attack long before Gonzalez’ punches ever attempted to land.
The role of aggressor remained with Melligan in the second, cutting off the ring and always keeping Gonzalez well within his punching range. The Filipino southpaw wasn’t always accurate, but highly effective in shutting down Gonzalez’ attack, as he only fought in spurts, spending most of his time on the defensive whenever Melligan began his delivery.
A straight left hand by Melligan early in the third round drew a rise out of the crowd, though the sequence wasn’t followed up. Gonzalez continued to settle for the role of counter-puncher, but his timing was terribly off. Melligan always knew exactly where to be the moment Gonzalez went into punching motion.
The fourth round in a lot of ways mirrored the third. The straight left was still the weapon of choice for Melligan, while Gonzalez waited and waited for opportunities that never surfaced. Melligan stepped up his attack in spots, throwing punches with mean intentions, including a chopping left hand that resulted in what should’ve been a knockdown, but was instead ruled a slip by aging referee Joe Cortez.
As the rounds poured on, Melligan continued to pile up points on the scorecards while causing Gonzalez to crawl deeper and deeper into a shell. A breaking point nearly came in the eighth, as Melligan came out with both barrels blazing. His increased aggression had Gonzalez in serious trouble, only for the Mexican to be bailed out by an inadvertent headbutt that left him cut, giving him a time-out for a review by the ringside physician.
It appeared to be a moment passed for Melligan, but the southpaw was just as aggressive in the ninth, targeting the body and throwing with mean intentions. The knockout would never come, though; Gonzalez was long past the point of trying to make a fight out of it, instead fighting merely for survival.
As the bell rang for the 10th round, the announcement of it being the final round seemed to light a fire for both fighters. The end result was the most sustained two-way action provided at any point in the fight, which is to say that Gonzalez actually let his hands go long enough to force Melligan to take a rare backwards step.
The newfound bravery suddenly exhibited by Gonzalez put Melligan into boxer mode. The Filipino was no longer gunning for the knockout, instead now content to box his way to the finish line, though never to the point of giving away the round.
Instead, he played cat and mouse with Gonzalez, pawing with his jab before waiting to strike. The fight ended on an anti-climactic note, with yet another clash of heads causing Gonzalez to turn away and wince in pain as the cut re-opened over his right eye. Referee Joe Cortez attempted to call time to survey the damage, but was instead met with the final bell.
Melligan’s determination and Gonzalez’ lack of aggression over the course of the bout was properly reflected on the scorecards. All three judges saw the contest the same, 100-90 across the board for Melligan, who wins his second straight as he improves to 18-2-1 (13KO).
Gonzalez dips to 18-2 (12KO) with the loss, his own two-fight win streak coming to an end.
The win puts Melligan back on the prospect path, rebounding well in the wake of his upset loss to last November. He remained non-committal on whom he’d like to face next or in the near future, but back-to-back wins over Gonzalez and previously unbeaten Raymond Gatica (in reverse order) show that his heart is still all the way in the game and that one notable loss hasn’t ruined his confidence or even slowed him down.
OTHER TELEVISED ACTION
Undefeated local favorite Diego Magdaleno opened the telecast with a spirited ten-round decision win over Manuel Perez in their super featherweight co-feature battle.
Scores were 100-90, 99-91 and 97-93 in favor of Magdaleno, who was busier throughout the fight and also exuded far superior boxing skills.
Perez drops to 14-6-1 (2KO) with his second straight loss. Magdaleno advances to 15-0 (3KO).
The show was presented by Top Rank, Inc.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .
