UNKNOWN to many, former WBC light flyweight champion Rodel “Batang Mandaue” Mayol (30W-5L-2D, 22 KOs) has been silently training here in Cebu for a month now to prepare for his title challenge on March 24 against WBA flyweight champion Hernan “Tyson” Marquez (32W-2L, 25 KOs) of Mexico.
Mayol bared that he has sparred with local fighters at the Omega gym or at the Rex ‘Wakee’ Salud’s gym. He had a sparring session Tuesday afternoon at the Omega Boxing Gym of Mabolo against Virgilio Silvano.
“It will be difficult because the fight will be in Mexico,” Mayol told Cebu Daily News.
“But I can’t afford to throw away this opportunity. It’s another chance to fight for a world title. I’ll just train hard.”
He will once again have Morai Quijano and Nonoy Neri as his cornermen.
Mayol has a 2W-2L-1D record in Mexico and the former amateur standout is bent on improving that. In 2006, he won a WBC strawweight eliminator by 4th round TKO against Lorenzo Trejo. Two years later, Mayol was stopped by Adrian Hernandez in four rounds.
He would return in 2009 and dethroned Edgar Sosa by TKO in the second round in a fight marred by a clash of heads. In 2010, Mayol fought Omar Nino Romero twice. The first resulted in a controversial technical draw while the second saw Mayol lose his title on points in their rematch.
The Los Angeles based Mayol plans to return to the U.S. in the first week of March. /Correspondent Rene Bonsubre Jr.