Melindo, Villanueva to face tough Mexican foes in PP34

CEBU, Philippines – ALA Boxing Gym stalwarts Milan 'El Metodico" Melindo and 'King' Arthur Villanueva will try to rebuild their road towards world championship glory as they battle Mexican foes in the keenly-awaited 'Pinoy Pride 34:Back with a Vengeance" fightcard on November 28 at the Hoops Dome in Baranggay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City.

Melindo (32-2, 12KOs) will figure in a 12-round rumble against Carlos 'Divino' Fontes (21-3, 17KOs) for the WBO International junior flyweight belt, while Villanueva (27-1, 14KOs) will vie for the WBC International super flyweight crown against Victor 'Spock' Mendez (19-2-2, 15KOs).

Both Melindo and Villanueva are itching to bounce back from controversial losses in their previous world title shots.

The 27-year-old Melindo lost by a highly questionable sixth round technical decision to Javier Mendoza in their IBF light flyweight title bout last May 30 at Campo Nuevo Ensenada in Baja California, Mexico.

American referee Gerald White stopped the fight after Mendoza sustained a nasty cut over his left eye and the judges awarded the win to Mendoza. Melindo's camp cried foul over the decision, claiming that the Cagayan de Oro City-native fighter should have been declared the winner as the cut was clearly caused by a legitimate punch.

The same thing happened to Villanueva, who appeared to be beating McJoe Arroyo of Puerto Rico only to lose by a contentious 10th round technical decision in their IBF super flyweight championship match last July 18 at the Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso, Texas.

The fight was marred by constant clash of heads that eventually opened up a cut above Villanueva's right eye in round six.  The cut worsened as the match progressed, prompting the referee to wave off the bout in round 10 with the judges scoring in favor of Arroyo by unbelievably lopsided margins.

As they hope to get back with a vengeance, Melindo and Villanueva must brace for an all-out war against equally-tough Mexican sluggers with power-packed punches.

Fontes is coming off back-to-back wins via stoppage, while Mendez is on a five-fight winning streak this year, including three via short distance. (FREEMAN)