By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Former WBC flyweight champion and reigning OPBF bantamweight king Malcolm Tunacao will join stable-mate Rodel Mayol in training under Freddie Roach at his popular Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
This was revealed by LA boxing man Michael Koncz who has played a key role in getting promising Filipino boxers lucrative fights in the US in an overseas telephone conversation with Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today.
Koncz earlier said he had spoken to Roach who agreed to take in the latest additions to a growing list of Filipino boxers, aside from ring idol Manny Pacquiao, who train at his gym. Currently working out at the celebrated Wild Card Gym are Pacquiao’s younger broher Bobby Pacquiao, explosive WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista and OPBF super flyweight champion Z “The Dream” Gorres.
Koncz said Bautista has been sparring with Ricky Quiles who fights Julio Diaz for the IBF lightweight title on May 18 and has “looked really good especially this week after being a little sluggish” during the previous sparring sessions. Koncz claimed Bautista was “getting the better of the sparring” against the world lightweight challenger. Koncz said Gorres was sparring with former WBC flyweight challenger Jose Navarro and was also looking good.
Koncz who was in Tokyo to watch the fights of Mayol and Tunacao said that when Tunacao boxed “he looked terrific” rather than when he attempted to slug it out against his Japanese opponent. Koncz said Tunacao was “fabulous when he threw his combinations” even as he criticized the work of the corner during both fights.
He said “the conditioning of Mayol was horrible. He was dead after five rounds.” Koncz said the “corner had no strategy and Mayol went out to try and knock Eagle Kyowa out. He didn’t use his jab and missed badly with power shots that drained him.” The well-known boxing agent and manager said the corner “didn’t change a single thing” during the Mayol fight and claimed that while Mayol has a “tremendous heart, I think he is pampered too much.” Kyowa, a Japan-based Thai won via a unanimous decision.