Boxing
Top Pinoy fighters Drian Francisco, Michael Domingo face off
In a rarity, two Filipino legitimate world title contenders are squaring off on Sept. 23 at the Makati Coliseum.
Unlike in the past when Filipino hotshots are paired with hopeless and hapless customers from overseas, the Sept. 23 slugfest will feature heavy-handed super-flyweight Drian Francisco against seasoned jawcracker Michael Domingo.
Francisco fights out of the Touch Gloves Boxing Club of Agoncillo, Batangas owned by Elmer Anuran, while Domingo is from the vaunted ALA Boxing Club of Cebu.
“It’s green and go for this fight,” said Michael Aldeguer, president of ALA Promotions.
Aldeguer said the bout will be a ten-round bantamweight clash and the styles of the two combatants promise a slambang showdown.
Domingo’s training team has been brushing off observations being circulated in the boxing community that it’s going to be an easy fight.
“We are not taking Francisco lightly because he has got great power,” said Aldeguer.
Edito Villamor, the two-time world title challenger who mans ALA Boxing, echoed his big boss’s sentiments.
“In boxing, overconfidence can be very dangerous,” said Villamor. “Michael will train very hard for this fight because Francisco is someone not to be messed with.”
Francisco is aching to get back on track after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Tepparith Singwancha in Thailand late last year.
Francisco parades a still-impressive 20-1-0 win-loss-draw card with 16 knockouts.
Domingo, who totes a 41-15-2 with 19 knockouts, is coming off a masterful stoppage win over Richard Samosir of Indonesia.
Ringsiders are of the opinion that while the fight has all the trappings of a thriller, Domingo simply has too much ring savvy and durability to withstand Francisco’s power blows.
The 32-year-old Domingo’s record is littered with countless recognizable names and as far back as 2004, he had already been in the ring with Venezuelan hotshot Jorge Linares, who is being lined up to serve as Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partner for the Nov. 12 trilogy with Juan Manuel Marquez.
Still, Francisco’s camp is unfazed.
Anuran said the 28-year-old Francisco will make a lot of heads turn come fight night.
Solar Sports will broadcast the Domingo-Francisco tussle.
