By Ronnie Nathanielsz

The title defense of Orient Pacific Boxing Federation minimum  weight champion Rodel Mayol scheduled for January 29 against Thailand’s Phalangchai Sor Vorapin is in jeopardy since the OPBF which hasn’t received an application for title-bout sanction as yet has indicated it will not sanction the title defense. That’s because Phalangchai who was ranked No. 10 in the last OPBF ratings “will be removed from our (OPBF) rankings in the new ratings list which will be issued in a few days” according to OPBF president Frank Quill of Australia. Quill informed  Viva Sports/Manila Standard that the OPBF “certainly would not sanction Phalangchai against Mayol.”

The Filipino is undefeated in 19 fights with 15 knockouts while  Phalangchai has lost his last two fights by knockouts and according to the boxing website boxrec.com has a record of 0-9 although this may not reflect some other fights involving the 23 year old Thai who is an orthodox fighter standing a mere five feet.

Phalangchai suffered a seventh round KO at the hands of Japan’s Hideaki Shoto last August 1 and then lost by a fourth round knockout to Pornsawan Porpramook last November 11.  In a WBC International minimum weight title fight against Ernesto Rubillar on September 18, 2002, Phalangchai used his head to cut the Filipino once in the fourth and then again in the twelfth as Rubillar had him on the verge of a knockout. All three judges scored the fight for Rubillar by lopsided margins with respected international referee/judge Bruce McTavish having Rubillar the winner 118-108.

Joy Ouano who manages the affairs of American Terry Carter who signed up Mayol some years ago said she was “unhappy” over the choice of Phalangchai and was hoping that Lope Sarreal Jr who had offered to promote Mayol’s title defense would be able to get a Japanese OPBF contender so Mayol would be truly tested. Among the Japanese in contention are No. 2 ranked Makoto Suzuki, No. 5 Genki Onaka, No. 6 Shunsuke Nagao and No. 10 Takayuki Kohrogi.

Mayol had four fights in 2004 winning three by KO or TKO and one by a seventh round technical decision against Ernesto Rubillar in a title defese in May. In his last fight on September  21 in Jakarta, Mayol scored a third round TKO over OPBF No. 3 ranked La Syukur . Earlier he scored an eighth round TKO over another Indonesian La Ode Zaenudin Basedz on June 4 and on March 16 won by a sixth round KO over Iwan Key.