By Rey Danseco
It's a go for the anticipated World Boxing Council (WBC) interim light flyweight title confrontation between top ranked Juanito Rubillar and number-two contender Wandee Singwancha next month in Thailand.
Rubillar’s promoter-manager Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde Jr. and Wandee’s Thai handler Naris Singwancha signed the fight contract on Friday, June 2, in Bangkok.
The two parties agreed to move the date of the 12-round fight from July 12 to July 18 at the Sukhothai-Thammathirat University in Nonthaburi, approximately 20 km north by land from Bangkok. The place, known for famous ancient temples and tasty durians, is an active host of boxing and muay thai events.
A Thai police general and Elorde’s wife Arlene witnessed the signing of the deal, which assured both Rubillar and Wandee of a $28,000 purse each.
The boxers’ purses will come from Naris Singwancha’s winning bid of $56,000 over Elorde’s proposed $50,000 in what seems to be controversially conducted purse ceremony conducted alone by WBC executive secretary Mauricio Sulaiman on May 12 in the WBC executive offices in Colonia Lindavista, Mexico City.
After the WBC had failed to fulfill the mandated shot of Rubillar to the WBC world title this year, the organization once again promised the winner of Rubillar-Wandee fight to receive a title shot against reigning WBC light flyweight champ Brian Viloria in a mandatory fight.
One of the important points agreed by the two parties, Naris has promised Elorde not to liven up the Thai boxing community by attacking his reputation by calling him a cheater and being dishonest, from weigh-in up to referee’s officiating and upon the conclusion of the fights' decisions.
“Naris is hospitable and he promised to put up new weighing scale in the official weigh-in rites to show there will be no fraud,” said Elorde.
They also agreed to assign impartial and knowledgeable officials from Thailand and the Philippines as scoring judges. The third judge and the referee will be foreigners.
The fight will be telecast on a slightly delayed basis in Philippine national television and will televise live throughout Thailand.
Rubillar (39-9-7,17 KOs) is a former two-time WBC international titleholder, ex-IBF minimumweight and WBC light flyweight title challenger.
It will be the second time the 29-year old Rubillar fights for that WBC interim 108-lb belt after he was beaten on points in October 2001 by Jorge "Travieso" Arce, who also defeated the Filipino in what was a controversial decision in their rematch with the regular WBC world title was at stake in September 2004.
The 26-year-old Singwancha (48-7-1,10 KOs), currently the WBC international light flyweight champ, is considered a former WBC minimumweight king after then legitimate world champ Ricardo “Finito” Lopez fought and captured the IBF light flyweight title against Will Grigsby in Oct. 1999.
