Merlito Sabillo: record, next fight and profile →
Carlos Buitrago managed to maintain his unbeaten record on the road in the Philippines - just not in the manner for which he hoped. The 21-year old Nicaraguan came just shy of unseating 105 lb. titlist Merlito Sabillo, as the unbeaten strawweights fought to a 12-round draw Saturday evening in Manlia, Philippines. Scores were 115-113 Buitrago, 115-113 Sabillo and 114-114 even.
World title challenger Carlos Buitrago of Nicaragua is getting the best possible support he can get from his country. No less than Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega is serving as Buitrago’s main supporter as the longtime leader once gave the undefeated challenger a huge welcome party after scoring a big victory in Mexico.
Both WBO light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes and minimumweight king Merlito "Tiger" Sabillo as well as challengers Sammy "Guty" Gutierrez of Mexico and unbeaten 21 year old Carlos Buitrago of Nicaragua looked ripped and ready for their epic battles at the faned Araneta Coliseum tonight. In a possible record-setting feat all 18 fighters on the "Pinoy Pride XXIII" card of ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN tipped the scales at the maximum weight limit which in itself demonstrated how disciplined the fighters are and how ready they are for action in the biggest fight card at the Big Dome in years.
Exciting Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo is ready to do battle against unbeaten Nicaraguan Carlos Buitrago, the WBO Interim minimum weight champion in a superb double-world championship fight card at the famed Araneta Coliseum on November 30. WBO Asia Pacific vice president Leon Panoncillo informed the Manila Standard that the referee for the title fight will be Jack Reiss of California while the judges will be Levi Martinez of New Mexico, William Lerch of Chicago and Takeshi Shimakawa of Japan with Panoncillo the WBO fight supervisor. In the WBO light flyweight title fight, long reigning champion Donnie Nietes will defend his title against Mexico’s Sammy “Guty” Gutierrez as ALA Promotions in cooperation with the giant broadcast network team up to bring big-time boxing to the famed “Mecca of Philippine Sports and Entertainment.”
Big time boxing returns to the famed Smart Araneta Coliseum, the “Mecca of Philippine Sports & Entertainment” when ALA Promotions in cooperation with the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN stages “Pinoy Pride XXIII” on November 30. Banking on the storied history of Philippine-Hispanic boxing, the card will be titled “Filipinos contra Latinos.” ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer who leaves for the US on Wednesday to finalize details for setting up a gym in San D iego and acquiring a residence for the ALA trainers and fighters to stay, told the Manila Standard that the mega fight card will feature title defenses of WBO light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes and WBO minimumweight champion Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo against top opponents.
In an exciting battle of undefeated WBO champions, Filipino Merlito "Tiger" Sabillo (23-0, 12 KOs) will clash with tough Nicaraguan Carlos "Chocorroncito" Buitrago (27-0, 16 KO's) for the unification of the WBO minimunweight (105 lbs) world championship on Friday November 29 in Dubai, U.A.E. The Merlito-Buitrago rumble was confirmed by the WBO during its recently concluded XXVI Annual Convention in Budapest, Hungary. The 21 year-old Nicaraguan - 8 years younger than the Filipino - has just captured the WBO interim minimunweight title by defeating by unanimous decision then undefeated Mexican Julian "Artillery" Yedras (21-1, 13 KO's) last July in Merida, Yucatán, Mexico.
As it continues to ex pand its horizons, ALA Promotions in cooperation with the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN plans a big fight card in Dubai, tentatively scheduled for November 29. ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard that they had chosen November 29 since Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire has a fight scheduled for November 9 and the Manny Pacquiao-Brandon Rios showdown will take place in Macau on November 24. Headlining the Dubai fight card will be exciting WBO minimum weight champion Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo, the all-action southpaw who is undefeated with a record of 23-0 with 12 knockouts.
Ala Promotions president Michael Aldeguer is looking to stage a double world title fight card in Dubai in October in partnership with the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN whose “Pinoy Pride” series continues to register remarkable TV ratings. Aldeguer told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard he is “really working on putting up something really big in Dubai” and is considering a mandatory title defense of WBO minimumweight champion Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo against Nicaragua’s Nicaragua’s undefeated Carlos Buitrago.
Nicaragua’s undefeated Carlos Buitrago will face WBO minimumweight champion Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo in the Filipino’s second title defense planned for Dubai this October in a joint presentation of ALA Promotions and the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN. WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel gave us the information at a dinner hosted for him, Championship Committee chairman Luis Batista Salas and Mexican promoter Felix “Tito” Zabala by ABS-CBN’s Gabby Lopez at the Intercontinental Hotel Wednesday.
ALA Promotions plans to stage WBO minimumweight champion Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo’s second title defense in Dubai sometime in late October after a title defense of WBO light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes in September in Manila, possibly at the Solaire Resort and Casino overlooking Manila Bay. ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told BoxingScene.com/Manila Standard on his arrival from Macau that Nietes cannot wait until October to fight so he decided to stage his fight in Manila in September because no venues are available and no dates open in Dubai.