By Ronnie Nathanielsz
WBO Oriental bantamweight champion Michael Domingo (37-14-2, 16 KO’s) whose breakthrough fight against world-rated Nestor Rocha at the Morongo Casino & Spa in Cabazon, California on November 22 (Manila Time) was called off because the Filipino was reportedly found to have Hepatitis B, has been cleared to fight again on February 28 at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu, Philippines.
ALA Gym chairman and respected boxing patron Tony Aldeguer told insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that Domingo was cleared twice, both by the Games and Amusements Board doctors in Manila as well as in Cebu.
Aldeguer said the tests were “supervised by the GAB doctors” even as he wondered how Domingo who had fought before in the US was found to have Hepatitis B when he had been given a clean bill of health prior to leaving Manila for the Rocha fight.
He noted that even Mercito Gesta was supposedly infected with Hepatitis B but subsequent tests in the US cleared him to fight.
Domingo who trained at the Mayweather Gym in Las Vegas was distressed at the reported findings which effectively ruined his hopes of a big win and a possible world title fight down the road.
Now that he has been cleared the soft-spoken 29 year old bantamweight is eager to get back into the ring against Monico Laurente who has a record of 8-4 with 1 knockout.
Laurente lost a split decision in a Philippine bantamweight title fight against former WBC flyweight champion and OPBF bantamweight champion Malcolm Tunacao last September 30 but came back to score a ten round unanimous decision over Jun Eraham last November 15.
Domingo will be featured on the undercard of an exciting double-header where Z “The Dream” Gorres (28--2-2, 15 KO's) who last year dropped Vic Darchinyan in an IBF super flyweight title eliminator which ended in a controversial draw and is making his debut as a bantamweight in the main event.
Gorres takes on former IBF minimum weight champion Roberto Carlos "Mako" Leyva (25-8-1, 20 KO's) who has gradually moved up in weight and fought some of the best including WBC light flyweight champion Edgar Sosa, WBO champion Ivan Calderon and IBF champion Daniel Reyes among others.
In what is expected to be the fight of the night WBO Asia Pacific minimum weight champion Milan Melindo who is ranked No.1 by the WBO, No. 4 by the WBA and No. 7 by the WBC goes up against rugged former IBF world champion Muhammad Rachman of Indonesia who lost the title by a close split decision to Filipino southpaw Florante Condes on July 7, 2007 in Jakarta.
Rachman is rated No. 3 by the IBF with a record of 62-6-5 with 31 knockouts while the record of the undefeated Milendo is 17-0 with 5 knockouts.
Well-known TV boxing analyst and original Team Pacquiao member Moy Lainez told us that “this should be a very good fight because Rachman is a fighter. If Milendo wins then she should be ready for a world title shot. "
The fights will be telecast by the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN over Studio 23 with a replay on the network's pre-eminent channel 2.
