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Hard-hitting Filipino southpaw Florante “Little Pacquiao” Condes is confident he can beat defending champion Hekkie “The Hexecutioner” Buddler and win the IBO title when they clash at Emperors Palace in South Africa on Saturday in a fight card titled “Last Man Standing.”
Former WBC light flyweight champion Rodel Mayol is "in good shape" or what may well be his final shot at a world title when he faces IBF super flyweight champion Juan Carlos Sanchez in Sinaloa, Mexico on September 22 (23 in Manila). MP Promotions Michael Koncz who handles Mayol told the Manila Standard that Mayol was "in good shape and in high spirits" and that his training under Nonoy Neri "went very well."
Former International Boxing Federation minimum weight champion Florante “Little Pacquiao” Condes goes for a second world title when he faces International Boxing Organization minimum weight champion Hekkie “The Hexecutioner” Budler at the Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, South Africa on Sunday morning Manila Time. Condes won the title with a split decision victory over Muhammad Rachman of Indonesia in a title fight in Jakarta on July 7, 2007 despite dropping Rahman once in round 3 and once in round 10.
Newly crowned WBC middleweight champion Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez of Argentina will undergo surgery in Madrid, Spain next week. The WBC reported that Martinez, who won the title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. - who dropped Martinez in the final moments of the twelfth round but couldn’t finish the job - will undergo surgery on his right knee. Although Martinez is reported to be “very optimistic about the time frame of his recovery" - the WBC said the Argentine southpaw will not fight until 2013.
WBO/IBF super bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire who is deep in training for his clash with WBC super champion Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan at the Home Depot Center on October 13, “ looks good .” That’s the assessment of trainer and former world champion Robert Garcia who is taking two new sparring partners to the Undisputed Gym in San Carlos City, California to work out with Donaire.
Pungluang Sor Singyu (42-1, 27 KO’s), Thailand’s No. 2 world ranked bantamweight is training with the Army in the ChoNburi province in preparation for his battle for the vacant WBO bantamweight title with No.1 ranked AJ “Bazooka” Banal (28-1-1, 20 KO’s) on October 20.
Former WBA world flyweight champion Jean Piero Perez has already arrived in Cebu and is training secretly for his war with undefeated Milan Melindo at the Waterfront Hotel & Casino on “Pinoy Pride XVI” on Saturday. ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard that one of the first conditions laid down by Perez during negotiations was that he needed to be in Cebu one week before the fight. Aldeguer said the former world champion arrived on Saturday and brought along his own doctor to make sure everything is fine in terms of his nutrition and his weight.
Former WBC junior welterweight champion Amir Khan has asked WBC/WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward’s trainer to replace Hall-of-Famer Freddie Roach. Khan has asked Virgil Hunter to train him from now on as he tries to regain his bearings after an embarrassing 4th round TKO loss in a WBC/WBA title fight against Danny Garcia last July 14.
Originally slated to fight tough Mexican Armando Torres in a Golden Boy – Canelo Alvarez Promotions fight card in Michoacan, Mexico on September 29, hard-hitting Denver Cuello will now face Ivan Meneses.
The father of former world IBO welterweight champion Ricky ”The Hitman” Hatton politely declines to comment on his son’s comeback which is reportedly set for November 24 at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England. Ray Hatton told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard in an overseas telephone conversation that “to be honest its something I really don’t want to comment about unfortunately. Me and my wife have our own feelings about it and obviously in this case I don’t wish to say anything.”