Cebuano Mayol faces Sanchez today

Former WBC light flyweight champion Rodel “Batang Mandaue” Mayol will fight in hostile territory again today in what could be his last chance to reclaim championship glory.

The 31-year-old Mayol (31W-5L-2D, 22 KOs)  will challenge reigning IBF superflyweight world champion Juan Carlos Sanchez (14W-1D-1D, 7 KOs) at the Gimnasio Polifuncional de Los Mochis in Sinaloa, Mexico.

Sanchez, who is 10 years younger than Mayol, weighed in at the division limit 115 lbs while Mayol was a pound lighter during the official weigh-in yesterday.

This will be the second title defense for Sanchez, who won the title by unanimous decision against countryman Rodrigo Guerrero.

There was controversy going into this fight after reports surfaced that the IBF did not receive any copy of the fight contract and had yet to sanction the title bout.

But during the weigh-in, the Spanish language boxing website notifight.com reported that the fight has been authorized and approved by the IBF.

Mayol pulled out of his scheduled WBA flyweight title bout in Mexico against champion Hernan Marquez last March when he accused the Mexican of cheating at the scales during the official weigh-in.

In an e-mail message to this writer, Mayol said he has already signed a contract and he has a good chance of winning.

“Ready na ko sa fight. Dako kaayo ko chance nga mo daog kay akong kuntra taas siya  pero wala kaayo’y kusog unya bata pa, samtang akong feeling kusog ko aning timbanga ug sakto ko sa training ug sparring,” Mayol stated in an e-mail.

Mayol won his WBC lightflyweight belt in Mexico in 2009, beating Edgar Sosa by second-round TKO but lost that crown to another Mexican, Omar Nino Romero, seven months later.

This card is headlined by the bout between former WBO world bantamweight champion Jorge Arce and Mauricio Martinez of Panama.