Pinoys to dispute vacant 'world' title

MANILA, Philippines - There’s a not-so-new kid on the world boxing block and in a bid to gain recognition from the country that produced Manny Pacquiao, the Universal Boxing Organization (UBO) has sanctioned a 12-round bout for the vacant lightflyweight title between Filipinos Randy Petalcorin and Noli Morales at the Kowloon Bay International Trade and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong on April 26.

UBO press officer Matt Neilson advised The Star of the match in a recent email. Established in 2004, the UBO has made strides in penetrating low-grade but promising markets that other governing bodies like the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF choose to ignore. Among the countries where UBO bouts were held last year were Uganda, Egypt, Bulgaria, Vanuatu, Latvia, Trinidad, Hungary, Congo, Tanzania Georgia, China and Tahiti.

This year, the UBO has staged fights in Guadaloupe, Slovakia and Brazil. The UBO’s Philippine representative is long-time Angeles City resident Rick Staheli who serves as Asia commissioner. Staheli, a New Yorker formerly with the US Air Force, is known for training Pacquiao for his 1998 bout against WBC flyweight champion Chatchai Sasakul in Thailand. He also worked with former IBF minimumweight titlist Manny Melchor. Although the UBO claims “to recognize the best boxers possible as our champions,” none of its titleholders is considered a shaker.

The UBO’s current world champions are cruiserweight Willie Herring of the US, supermiddleweight Kali Jacobus of Vanuatu, middleweight Bronko McKart of the US, superlightweight Li Wen Yang of China, lightweight Mason Menard of the US and superflyweight Mudde Ntambi Rabison of Uganda. The other 11 world titles are vacant. A familiar name in the UBO roster of champions is 43-year-old Roy Jones who captured the vacant UBO Intercontinental cruiserweight title via a 10-round decision over Max Alexander in Atlanta last December after suffering three straight losses.

Petalcorin, 20, is ranked No. 8 by the WBA and No. 37 by the WBC in the 108-pound division. Morales, 25, is unranked by the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF. Petalcorin is also unranked by the WBO and IBF. Despite their lack of solid credentials, the Filipinos were picked to dispute the vacant UBO lightflyweight throne.

Petalcorin, managed by Australian Peter Maniatis, has a 16-1 record, with 13 KOs. The General Santos City southpaw, nicknamed Razor, has won his last 11 bouts, eight inside the distance. It will be Petalcorin’s overseas debut. Morales, also left-handed, totes a 9-1 record, with three KOs, and his only loss was a technical decision to Wanheng Menayothin in Thailand last year.

The Petalcorin-Morales fight will be on the Thursday Night Fights bill presented by DEF Promotions in cooperation with J&J Promotions. Neilson said “it will without a doubt be the most significant professional boxing promotion ever staged in Hong Kong.” Other bouts in the card will feature Hong Kong-based Samoan Lawrence Tauasa vying for the vacant UBO International heavyweight crown, Hong Kong-based Congolese Lefoumbou Ngoma versus: Plaisakda Singwancha of Thailand for the vacant UBO Intercontinental lightheavyweight title, Hong Kong’s Rex Tso versus Pongpan Patanakan Gym of Thailand for the vacant UBO Asia Pacific superflyweight belt and long-time Hong Kong amateur champion Douglas Lam in his pro debut.

Tipped to steal the show is Tso who is trained by Staheli. Last month, Tso defeated Mabert Paulino on points in Caloocan and three weeks later, stopped Aldrin Janer in Sta. Rosa to raise his record to 5-0, with three KOs. He has fought his last three bouts in the Philippines.

In a mission statement, the UBO vowed to “give equal opportunity to all, cooperate with local boxing commissions in order to enhance safety for boxers, recognize the best boxers possible as our champions, help the growth of the sport of boxing and improve and help others improve for the sake of the sport.” The UBO president is Joerg Herzog of Germany. Regional officials are USA commissioner Macke Roberts of Las Vegas, Oceania commissioner Reginald Laca of New Caledonia, All-Africa commissioner Emmanuel Mhundwa of Tanzania, South and Central America commissioner Rolando Frascaro of Brazil and Staheli as Asia commissioner. David Maizner is the UBO general secretary.

“We want to present the best boxers possible as our world champions but we also feel great pride and satisfaction when seeing lesser-known boxers achieve their goal of winning a title and when smaller promoters are able to arrange championship fights as a result of our cooperation,” said the UBO. “However, you will not see any UBO interim title fights. Nor will we ever crown super world champions, silver champions, diamond champions. If you are a UBO world champion, you are the only UBO world champion in your weight class. Always a work in progress, we continuously try to develop and work diligently with boxing personalities around the world in order to improve where we can. Nobody is perfect but the least we can do is our best.”