Gorres impressive in bantam debut Stops Leyva in round 7

CEBU, Philippines - ALA Boxing Gym star Z "The Dream" Gorres swiftly made a strong impact in his bantamweight debut as he stopped former world champion Roberto Carlos "Mako" Leyva of Mexico in the seventh round to clinch the WBO Oriental 118-pound crown in the main event of the other night's well-attended "Judgement at the Waterfront" fight card at the Pacific grand ballroom of Waterfront-Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

Gorres' stablemate Milan Melindo likewise displayed a top-grade performance in pounding out a 10-round unanimous decision victory over the very durable ex-IBF minimumweight champion Muhammad "The Rock Breaker" Rachman of Indonesia, showing to all that he's ripe and ready for the bigtime.

Judging from the way they performed, both Gorres and Melindo proved they all have what it takes to be a world champion someday.

Stylish and flashy as ever, the 26-year-old Gorres peppered Leyva with a flurry of punches , mostly to the body, right after the opening bell. In round four, he wobbled Leyva with energy-sapping body shots but the Mexican was fortunately saved by the bell.

Gorres again rocked Leyva in rounds five and six with beautiful combinations and sharp uppercuts, but the Mexican visitor gamely weathered the ordeal.

Not in round seven. Gorres cornered Leyva against the ropes and hammered him with an assortment of telling blows that the Mexican couldn't find an answer, forcing trainer Raul Perez to throw in the towel. Referee Bruce McTavish officially waved off the bout at 1:29 of round seven.

"From the start, I already knew I'm going to get him. I can take his punches and I can easily read his style. He's not that quick. He gave me a chance, that's why I finished him off," said Gorres, who improved his record to 29-2-2 now packed with 16KOs. Leyva fell to 25-9-1 (20KOs).

ALA Promotions president Michael P. Aldeguer was pleased with the showing of Gorres although he unequivocally admitted that his ward still has a lot of things to work on.

"We can feel he has power. He's stronger and more comfortable [as a bantamweight] and that's one thing we have to improve," said Aldeguer. "His aggressiveness is there but he has to move more."

Melindo, on the other hand, had a difficult time in breaking down the wiry Rachman, his 16 years senior. The Cagayan de Oro City warrior launched a relentless offensive, but Rachman wisely used his vast experience to parry his attacks and survive the full distance.

When the dust settled, Melindo was rewarded well for his resiliency, sweeping the judges' scorecards at 97-93, 98-92, 96-94.

The 21-year-old Melindo, thus, stretched his undefeated record to 18-0 with 5KOs, while Rachman slumped to 62-7-5 with 31KOs.

"We knew its gonna be a tough fight. Rachman really showed his experience and he pressured Melindo. The good thing and something he must be proud of is that Melindo showed his heart especially in the last three rounds. Also, he followed what the gameplan was," said Aldeguer.

In the supporting bouts, Michael "Sunday Punch" Domingo defeated Monico Laurente by unanimous verdict (98-92, 99-91, 97-93), while James Bacon got his revenge over former tormentor William Jorge by unanimous decision.

The rest of the results saw Marjohn Makahilig stopping Marlon Ariesga in the first round, and Jomar Cordinillo prevailing over Ricky Nuñez by majority decision. – THE FREEMAN