TWO ALA Gym fighters, who were victims of seriously questionable decisions in International Boxing Federation world title fights, are eager to get back with a vengeance when they battle Mexican opponents on “Pinoy Pride 34” at the Hoops Dome in Lapu Lapu City on Nov. 28.
The 27-year-old Melindo, who has a record of 32-2 with 12 knockouts, faces hard-hitting Carlos “Divino” Fontes of Mexico in a World Boxing Organization International junior flyweight championship bout, while super flyweight King Arthur Villanueva clashes with Victor “Spock” Mendez, another Mexican slugger in a battle for the World Boxing Council International super flyweight title fight.
Of the two ALA boxers, Villanueva was the clearly more aggrieved as he appeared to be beating Puerto Rico’s McJoe Arroyo in an IBF world title fight in El Paso, Texas on July 18, when the referee, who had deducted a point from him in the sixth round after he suffered a cut over the right eye, which worsened as the bout progressed, stopped the fight in the 10th round with the three judges scoring the fight for Arroyo by unbelievably lopsided margins.
Villanueva, who won the vacant IBF International title with a split decision win over Henry Maldonado in Dubai on Sept. 5, 2014, is determined to take his frustrations out on his Mexican opponent.
That’s the same attitude of Melindo against the 26-year-old Fontes, who has a record of 21-3 with 17 knockouts and is coming off a fifth-round TKO of Roberto Lopez, a veteran of 59 fights last Sept. 26.
Fontes lost in a battle for the WBC Silver title when he yielded a ninth-round technical decision to power-punching Luis Concepcion, who dropped him in Rounds 5 and 7.
The 27-year-old Melindo, who boasts of a 32-2, 12 KO record, is aching to recover from his sixth-round technical decision loss to Javier Mendoza in an IBF light flyweight title bout after the Filipino, who was cut over the left eye, was deducted a point in Round 6, while the referee stopped the fight when Mendoza was cut over the left eye and the judges awarded the win to him.
Melindo was also penalized for low blows in Rounds 4 and 5 and was further disadvantaged on the scorecards and is grimly determined not to allow it to happen again in his WBO International junior flyweight championship.
