MACAU – WBO No. 1 flyweight contender Milan ‘El Metodico’ Melindo of the ALA gym brimmed with confidence during his public appearances to promote the Fists of Gold fight card set this Saturday at the Cotai Arena.
Melindo (29-0, 12 KO’s) will take on tough Juan Francisco ‘El Gallo’ Estrada (24-2, 18 KOs) of Mexico for the latter’s WBO and WBA flyweight belts that Estrada took from Brian Viloria last April.
Melindo and Estrada exchanged glances and did not shake hands when they were first presented to the public last Wednesday. the unbeaten Filipino took a more respectful approach towards the Mexican champion in public.
Consul General Danilo T. Ibayan and around a hundred members of the Filipino community here welcomed Melindo and his stablemate Genesis Servania Wednesday night and gave them a boost for their crucial battles.
At the Meng Fei Elderly Center last Wednesday evening, Ibayan told Melindo that Filipinos in Macau want him to take back the WBO and WBA flyweight belts. The gathering was sponsored by Caritas Macau and the Venetian Hotel.
Melindo in his speech said that “ Estrada is not an easy opponent. He is a world champion, he beat a good champion, Brian Viloria. It will be a hard fight but I will fight for all Filipinos. Hindi ako lumalaban para sa sarili ko, hindi lang para sa pamilya ko, pero para sa lahat na mga Filipino.”
Servania (21-0, 8 KOs) on the other hand will make his overseas debut and stake his unbeaten record against former world title challenger Konosuke Tomiyama (23-5-1, 8 KOs) of Japan in a non-title match-up.
FIGHT OF THE YEAR
During the press conference held yesterday noon at the Venetian Ballroom, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum labeled the Estrada-Melindo fight a ‘candidate for Fight of the Year.”
Melindo said during the presscon that he was thankful for the opportunity. “When I first fought here, I was just standing at the back, looking at the people seated in front and I told myself I want to sit in front of everybody.”
Juan Hernandez of Team Estrada said that they are aware of Melindo’s quality against Tommy Seran whom the Filipino beat last April.
“Melindo is not the type of fighter you want to face but he is the mandatory challenger. Estrada has fought here before. He came in like a freight train. Estrada will be one of the best pound for pound fighters in the next few years.”
The soft spoken Estrada thanked Melindo for showing up and he told CDN in a separate interview that he has made special preparations for his Filipino challenger. Estrada refused to give any predictions but said that the fans will surely have a great time.