By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Former WBC flyweight champion Rodel Mayol will be the only Filipino to see action on the Manny Pacquiao-Shame Mosley WBO welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 7. Mayol will be featured in a six round super flyweight bout on the blockbuster fight card.
Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz told BoxingScene.com/Inquirer that Mayol’s original opponent from Colombia had been injured in training and they should have word on a replacement by tomorrow.
The 29 year old Mayol has been training at the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach and is eager to redeem himself after losing his title to Mexico’s Omar Nino Romero by a twelve round unanimous decision last June 19, 2010. Their first clash on February 27, 2010 ended in a third round technical decision due to an accidental clash of heads.
Mayol stunned favored Mexican Edgar Sosa to score a somewhat controversial second round TKO on November 21, 2009 in Chiapas, Mexico when referee Roberto Ramirez Jr stopped the bout at 1:52 of the round.
Mayol started aggressively in the opening round and caught Sosa with a solid right cross but was deducted a point in the second round when he opened up a cut over the champion’s cheek with a head-butt.
When the action resumed Mayol went after Sosa and dropped him for an eight count. Mayol then swarmed all over the champion who appeared to be still groggy and unable to defend himself against a barrage of lefts and rights thrown by the Filipino challenger, forcing the referee to stop the fight
Mayol has a record of 27-5-2 with 21 knockouts. In his last fight he scored a 7th round TKO win over Thailand’s Pompetch Twins Gym on November 5, 2010.