Pacquiao foe KO’d Pinoy in ’88 Olympics

At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, a hard-hitting Colombian knocked out Filipino bet Michael Hormillosa in the third round of a bantamweight bout.

Jorge Julio-Rocha, using his mother’s surname, went on to defeat hopefuls from Puerto Rico, East Germany, and Japan before losing a 3-2 decision to Alexander Hristov of Bulgaria in the semifinals. The loss to Hristov was controversial and triggered a bitter protest from the Colombian delegation.

But the verdict stuck. Julio-Rocha, 19, settled for a bronze medal.

Filipino fans never forgave the Colombian for stopping Hormillosa.

On June 8, International Boxing Federation (IBF) superbantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao hopes to avenge Hormillosa’s defeat when he battles the Colombian–now known as Jorge Eliecer Julio–in a scheduled 12-round bout at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis.

Julio, 33, looks a little like Felix Trinidad and is feistier. He likes to charge in like a bull and doesn’t back down. The Colombian is a rugged, two-fisted, switchhitting brawler. He’s expected to slug it out with Pacquiao until only one man is left standing.

What could be bad news for Pacquiao is Julio’s reputation as a dirty fighter. Last November, Pacquiao had difficulty coping with Agapito Sanchez’ roughhousing and was held to a sixth round technical draw in San Francisco. Julio is as dirty as Sanchez but more skillful–the combination makes him a dangerous opponent for the 22-year-old Pacquiao.

Writer Tony Connolly of Boxing News (London) described Julio as "heavy-handed, shifty, sneaky, awkward, ruthless, even dirty-doing things wrong but getting it right." He also called Julio "a flashy dangerman" and "a dirty fighter (who) likes to use his head, shoulders and elbows."

When Julio fought Johnny Tapia in January 2000, he was penalized a point for elbowing. Tapia’s cornerman for the fight was trainer Freddie Roach who is now training Pacquiao and will be in the Filipino’s corner for the bout against Julio.

Julio turned pro in 1989 after compiling an amateur record of 88-9. He won his first 19 fights as a pro by knockout and has notched seven first round disposals. Julio has lost only thrice–all on points–to former world bantamweight champion Junior Jones, reigning IBF featherweight titlist Tapia, and Mexican contender Adan Vargas.

In losing to Jones in 1993, Julio scored a knockdown but was floored twice enroute to dropping a decision. Julio’s consolation was he was paid a whopping $175,000 for facing Jones.

Julio is a former World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) bantamweight champion. He lost the WBA title in his third defense and the WBO crown in his fourth. Pacquiao’s challenger is coming off two straight wins over Juan Carlos Cobarrubias and Darryl Pinckney. Last month’s win over Pinckney was a bruiser as Julio finished with a badly swollen left eye.

With a 69-inch wingspan, Julio shouldn’t find it difficult to reach Pacquiao. But will his defense hold up against the power-punching Filipino?