By Ronnie Nathanielsz

World Boxing Organization Oriental bantamweight champion Michael Domingo, one of the most underrated Filipino champions says he is ready to do battle with former world champion Ratanachai Sor Vorapin of Thailand on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. in an exciting  “Daytime Boxing” fight card at the Cebu Coliseum.

The three featured fights will be telecast “live” on the cable channel Viva Prime which is also carried by Destiny Cable but will be blocked out in Cebu . The fights will also be carried “live” in Thailand where Ratanachai has a big following as well as Vietnam , Cambodia and Laos.

The bouts will also be telecast on the top-rated weekly boxing show "The Main Event" telecast on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. over IBC 13 sponsored by Tanduay, the No.1 Rhum, Pagcor and PCSO.  

Vorapin who gave reigning WBO champion Gerry Penalosa a hard time before being stopped in the 8th round last April at the Araneta Coliseum has said that if Penalosa didn’t scare him, how can Domingo. But to Domingo who is making the first defense of his WBO Oriental crown, its not about scaring his opponent – its about training hard and being ready to win.

One of the promising fighters from the famed ALA Gym, Domingo realizes that he faces a tough and wily veteran and that a win will surely see him break into the world rankings.

Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach has said in the past that Domingo is a potential world champion who may not have the charisma and flair of fighters like Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista and Z “The Dream” Gorres but he is a talented fighter.

Domingo said he has trained hard for what he sees as “the biggest fight of my life” and is not about ready to let the opportunity slip away.

The Domingo-Ratanachai battle has an added intriguing dimension since Domingo’s trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor lost by a seventh round TKO to Ratanachai’s older brother Ratanapol Sor Vorapin in an IBF minimum weight championship bout in 1993.

Villamor wants to get back, even in a little way,  by making sure that Domingo beats Ratanachai to give Villamor a measure of revenge.