By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Former world junior lightweight champion Cornelius Boza Edwards has been impressed by Philippine light welterweight champion Mark Jason Melligen (12-1, 9 KO’s) who is training at the gym of Roger Mayweather in Las Vegas.
One of the top pound-for-pound fighters in his time Boza Edwards lost his WBC super featherweight title in a stunning 5th round knockout to Rolando Navarette on August 29, 1981 in Viarregio, Italy.
Longtime Cebu resident and boxing trainer Tony Martin informed ALA Promotions chairman Tony Aldeguer that Mayweather who is a brother of Floyd Mayweather Sr and an uncle of the former pound-for-pound No. 1 Floyd Mayweather Jr who has retired, was also pleased with the sharpness shown by the hard-hitting southpaw after a hard day’s training.
Martin quoted Boza Edwards and Mayweather as telling him, the 22 year old Melligen "punches hard, is fast, is relaxed and in excellent shape."
Melligen sparred "eight sharp rounds and showed no signs of f atigue" according to Martin who failed however to identify his sparring partners. He said that in addition Melligen went five rounds on the mitts after the sparring and that "his speed and power have really improved" since training in Las Vegas.
Since Melligen’s March 7 bout is in Denver, Colorado which is at an altitude of around 6,000 feet, Martin makes him run in the mountains every day in Nevada.
