By Ronnie Nathanielsz

The Philippines hard-hitting light welterweight champion Mark Jason Melligen made an impressive US debut with a 5th round TKO of Gerardo Cesar Prieto of Mexico at the Mile High Center in Denver, Colorado, Sunday morning Manila Time.

After the fight Top Rank promoter Bob Arum’s premier matchmaker Bruce Trampler told longtime Cebu resident Tony Martin who handled Melligen’s training in Las Vegas that he would put Melligen on a fight card at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas on May 1, the eve of Manny Pacquiao’s showdown with Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand.

The Denver fight card was staged by Delgado Promotions in cooperation with Top Rank Promotions of Bob Arum.

In an overseas telephone conversation with BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that he “dropped him (Prieto)in the third round with a left straight” and continued to punish him, forcing Prieto to quit at the end of the 5th round.

Melligen said his opponent was big and a light middleweight who came in at 165 pounds and although Prieto “hit hard I could handle his power easily.” Melligen also noted that his opponent was “a little slow and I could see the punches coming.”

The promising youngster said he would return to Cebu on Tuesday and then return to Las Vegas to continue training in preparation for his planned fight on May 1.

The win was a confidence booster for Melligen who lived up to predictions that he would overpower the heavily built 30 year old Prieto who dropped to 6-6-1 with no knockouts. Among those Prieto had fought were reigning WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto and undefeated Vanes Martirosyan.

The  22 year old Melligen improved his to 13-1 with 10 knockouts..

Prieto was coming off a 4th round unanimous decision over Joel Rodriguez last October 24. However, Prieto suffered a 3rd round TKO in his previous bout against undefeated Jeremy Bryan on April 11 last year.

Melligen was originally scheduled to fight lightweight Ramon Montano, a one time sparring partner of Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao and lost a close ten round majority decision to then WBC lightweight champion David Diaz.  ALA Gym chairman and respected boxing patron Tony Aldeguer said Montano had pulled out of the fight but gave no reasons.

Melligen has been training for some two months at the Mayweather Gym in Las Vegas. Nevada along with Martin as well as Roger Mayweather and former world junior lightweight champion Cornelius Boza Edwards.

He said even former world No.1 pound-for-pound fighter Floyd Mayweather Jr who watched Melligen spar eight rounds at the Mayweather Gym recently was impressed.

Martin said they have been training at the Mayweather gym for almost three months and Melligen has worked hard and sparred over 100 rounds with sparring partners ranging from 140 pounds to 160 pounds and hasn’t backed off.

Melligen’s jogging consistes of flat road work and mountain work and according to Martin he had been running at an elevation of 5,000 feet in order to prepare for the high altitude of the fight venue. Martin earlier expressed confidence stating “He is ready and we are going there to win.”