Don’t take foe for granted: Sabillo told

Veteran boxing trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor has an important advice for defending WBO minimumweight champion Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo: Don’t take Nicaraguan Carlos “Chocorroncito” Buitrago for granted.

Villamor said his ward should be wary of the undefeated Nicaraguan, who he described as a tough and dangerous fighter based on records his team has gathered.

“Based on his records, he is unbeaten and finishes fights impressively,” Villamor said. “That’s why I can say he is a good fighter and we need to be very cautious and train hard for this fight.”

Sabillo will be defending his WBO minimumweight title for the second time on Nov. 29 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) against Buitrago.

Sabillo admitted he will be tested to his limits against the current WBO Latino minimumweight champion Buitrago, who holds a record of 27-0 (win-loss) with 16 knockouts.

“I’ll have to make my training intense and be fully focused because I know how tough Buitrago is based on his records,” said Sabillo. “I know that proper training and dedication will be my weapon.”

Villamor said he and his team is also busy coming up with a good fight plan for Sabillo.

“We will study the fight tapes maybe next week so that we can come up with a good fight plan,” Villamor said. “We will focus more on his conditioning training.”

Sabillo is fresh from an impressive first title defense victory against Colombian Jorle Estrada in Manila last July 13 at the plush Solaire Resort and Casino. He clinched the WBO title against Colombian Luis dela Rosa last March in Colombia.