Laurente fights Thai for berth in Manny card

MANILA, Philippines - Veteran Philippine junior middleweight champion Dennis Laurente slugs it out with Thailand’s Manopnoi Singmanasak Saturday, looking for a victory and a possible stint in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Brandon Rios duel in November.

“If Laurente wins impressively, he might just get in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Brandon Rios fight in Macau in November,”said manager-promoter Johnny Elorde yesterday in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

Laurente and Singmanasak will dispute the World Boxing Council (WBC) Asia junior middleweight crown at the Midas Hotel and Casino Tent in Pasay City.

“We want to use Saturday’s fight as a stepping stone at a possible world title crack,” added Elorde.

The Laurente-Singmanasak bout headlines the “War at the Casino”, also featuring reigning World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific champion Juan Martin Elorde, younger sibling Juan Miguel, and world-ranked Jonathan Taconing.

Once ranked as high as No. 6 in the WBC welterweight division, Laurente, 36, suffered a controversial split decision loss to American Kenny Abril last July 12 in Las Vegas, Nevada, a verdict that Elorde contested after the referee ruled a knockdown when the Filipino slipped in the early rounds.

“We hope Laurente can start campaigning again in the welterweight ranks should he win convincingly against the Thai,” Elorde, the son of the late boxing great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, said.