Mangubat steps in for Gabi

Diosdado (Prince) Gabi was supposed to face World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam in a 12-round title fight in Phuket, Thailand, on Oct. 8.

What bothered Gabi’s manager Soc Piñol was despite a verbal commitment, no contract was ever sent by Pongsaklek’s camp to firm up the details of the bout, billed as the highlight of the WBC annual convention in the resort town.

As it turned out, Pongsaklek got cold feet.

"Natakot kay Gabi," said Piñol whose older brother Manny is the North Cotabato governor. "Nalaman nila na impressed si Emanuel Steward kay Gabi and determined si Gabi to knock out Pongsaklek."

Last May, Piñol sent Steward a tape of Gabi in action and asked if the Hall of Famer would be interested in training him in Detroit. An impressed Steward wrote Piñol back and offered Gabi to live in his mansion. He said Gabi would stay in the US for eight months and "will be training under my tutoring."

The trip was aborted when the offer to fight for the WBC title came.

Piñol said Pongsakek is a national hero in Thailand and his manager Virat Vachirantanawongse wouldn’t risk the embarrassment of the champion losing to Gabi in front of WBC president Jose Sulaiman.

Before Piñol knew it, negotiations began for Virat to bring in Carlos Bouchan-Salazar of Mexico as Pongsaklek’s challenger instead of Gabi.

Somehow, talks to import Bouchan-Salazar hit a snag and Virat, looking to save face, offered Gabi a $1,000 purse to take on Pongsaklek in a non-title fight for eight rounds. It was a far cry from the $10,000 purse that Gabi was booked to receive if the original championship bout pushed through. The offer was meant for Gabi to refuse.

With Gabi out of the picture, matchmaker Leonel Lazarito of Bukidnon was contacted by Virat to find a replacement. Lazarito found Randy Mangubat.

"Perfect timing," said Mangubat’s manager Yuki Murayama, a Japanese photojournalist living here with his Filipina wife and their daughter. "Randy was training for a WBO (World Boxing Organization) Asia Pacific title fight in Thailand on Sept. 20 when Leonel called. Okay lang sa amin ang $1,000 purse. Hindi kami mahirap kausapin. Whatever the purse, we will accept for the chance to beat Pongsaklek."

Mangubat, 28, has fought Pongsaklek thrice before and never won. In June last year, he was beaten by Pongsaklek on a lopsided unanimous decision in Songkla as Roy Ovalle scored it 118-109, Takeaki Kanaya 118-109 and Jae Bong Kim 119-110. He previously lost to Pongsaklek on a technical knockout in 1996 and on points in 1999.

Murayama said if Mangubat beats Pongsakelk, he will automatically earn a shot at the WBC crown and if they draw or if he loses by a close margin, it could mean a top 10 rating.

"This is an opportunity of a lifetime," said Murayama. "Randy will be out to impress Sulaiman and the other WBC officials. Kaya, we backed out of the WBO fight and sacrificed a bigger purse to face Pongsaklek again."

Mangubat’s record is 32-20-12 with 14 KOs. Late last year, he lost the WBC International flyweight crown to Gabi on a technical decision in Kidapawan. After the loss, Mangubat fought Z Gorres to a second round technical draw then dropped a majority decision to Yoshinobu Nakamura in Komaki, Japan, last April.

To warm up for Pongsaklek, Mangubat scored a unanimous eight-round decision over trialhorse Nathan Barcelona in Alabang last Sunday.

Pongsaklek, 27, halted Malcolm Tuñacao in the first round to wrest the WBC flyweight diadem in Pichit, Thailand, in March 2001 and has since repulsed 10 challengers. His record is 52-2, with 29 KOs. Among his victims were Filipinos Ronnie Canete, Alvin Felisilda, Mark Sales, Juanito Rubillar, Jerry Pahayahay and Lolito Laroa.

On the same card, former WBC flyweight titlist and Asian Boxing Council (ABC) bantamweight champion Chatchai Sasakul takes on Jun Magsipoc in a 10-round rematch.

Lazarito said Chatchai, 34, was on the verge of being knocked out by Magsipoc in their first meeting last June when Thai officials abruptly halted the contest, claiming TV time constraints. The scheduled 12-round bout was stopped after the eighth stanza. Lazarito protested vehemently when Chatchai was declared the winner by technical knockout. The disputed ending prompted the rematch, said Lazarito.

Since losing the WBC flyweight crown to Manny Pacquiao in 1998, Chatchai has won 14 in a row to raise his record to 47-2, with 30 KOs. Magsipoc, 26, has a 23-21-4 record, with 12 KOs. Magsipoc’s purse is only $800.

Another Filipino fighter Jun Talape was supposed to fight ABC flyweight champion Denburapa Ekarin in the undercard but Thai organizers scrapped the contest, again fearing the local boy would lose. Talape, 19, is a star on the rise with a 9-1 record, including five KOs. He lost to Benedict Suico on a split decision in his pro debut then racked up nine wins in a row.

Lazarito said to replace the cancelled fight, the Thais are looking for a Filipino patsy to take on WBC Youth miimumweight titleholder Oleydong Sithsamuochai. But Lazarito’s candidates were not acceptable to the Thais who are after easy prey.

Lazarito will leave for Thailand with Magsipoc, Mangubat and trainer Rolando Espinosa on Saturday.