By Ronnie Nathanielsz
The WBO super flyweight title eliminator between Z “The Dream” Gorres (28-2-2, 15 KO’s)and Jose “Carita” Lopez (38-7-2, 32 KO’s) of Puerto Rico is in jeopardy.
That’s because the handlers of Lopez and the WBO which is also headed by Puerto Rican Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel have indicated that Lopez doesn’t want the fight to take place in the US and wants it held in Puerto Rico.
The fight was to headline a card in Las Vegas on December 5, the eve of the “Dream Match” between Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya.
Respected boxing patron Tony Aldeguer of the ALA Gym told insidesports.ph, Manila Standard and Viva Sports that he was “disappointed because all the preparations had been made” with Gorres scheduled to fly to Las Vegas in early November to step up training for the interim title bout.
Aldeguer said he was ready to offer Cebu as a site for the clash with Lopez but was more than willing to settle for a “neutral ground and had no complaints” about fighting in the US .
At the back of the mind of Aldeguer as well as Gorres himself was the fact that Gorres was the obvious danger of a hometown decision because the top officials of the WBO are Puerto Ricans.
Besides, the hugely controversial decision last year when Gorres was robbed of the title in a fight against Fernando Montiel right in the Filipino’s hometown remains fresh in the memory of the stylish southpaw, Aldeguer and a majority of boxing writers and fans. It was pointed out that if this could be done right here in the Philippines with Valcarcel and his top executives at special ringside, what more in Puerto Rico which is the hometown of Lopez.
