By Joaquin Henson
The Mexican trainer whom Luisito Espinosa hired last year wants the former World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight champion back in the US to prepare for his April 14 fight against Guty Espadas.
Robert Aguallo recently sent a fax to Espinosa urging him to return to California where he can personally supervise his training.
But Espinosa said he's not leaving Manila until the fight site is confirmed. Besides, it's constantly raining in San Francisco and too cold for Espinosa to jog in the streets, added Espinosa's wife Mariecherie.
Top Rank won the purse bid to promote the Espinosa-Espadas fight for the vacant WBC 126-pound title on a $253,000 offer. America Presents, the Denver promotions outfit that owns Espinosa's rights up to May, was the only other bidder -- it offered $160,000.
Unless a Filipino group puts up $150,000 as site fee to stage the bout here, Top Rank will hold it in Merida, Espadas' hometown in Mexico. Top Rank has begun to market the TV rights for the fight, asking $100,000 to air it live via satellite from Merida.
Aguallo, 32, is worried that lack of opposition here will dull Espinosa in sparring. It appears that Aguallo is right. So far, Espinosa has sparred with Philippine junior middleweight champion Jerry Balagbagan and Philippine lightweight titlist Joselito Rivera in Mandaluyong since leaving the US to escape the cold last December. Neither Balagbagan and Rivera are world-rated.
Fans who've watched Espinosa in sparring aren't impressed. Espinosa is too good for his sparmates and isn't being tested.
In the US, Aguallo has lined up undefeated prospects Juan Arias, Joaquin Guajardo, and Fred Neal for Espinosa.
If the fight is held in Manila, Espinosa's Daly City-based Filipina manager Erlinda (Boots) Aniel said she will fly in Aguallo and a coterie of sparmates a month before the bout.
Aguallo, 32, was a former US Golden Gloves featherweight champion. He never turned pro and retired from the ring in 1987. A year later, Aguallo began training fighters. He has worked with former world titlists like Seoul Olympian Henry Martinez, Tom (Boom Boom) Johnson and Hector Lizarraga and traveled around the world for fights.
In a recent interview in San Francisco, Aguallo told