Busy three months ahead for Philippine boxing

The next three months are going to be a busy and eventful one for Philippine boxing as four Filipino world champions stake their respective titles one after the other. World boxing superstar and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao heads the stellar cast as he's scheduled to defend his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt against undefeated American Timothy Bradley on June 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The 33-year-old eight-division world champion is currently in Baguio City for the early part of his two month-training camp that ends at Freddie Roach's Wild Card gym in Los Angeles. Pacquiao is making the fourth defense of the 147-pound crown he won over Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto three years ago. He successfully defended it against Joshua Clottey, Sugar Shane Mosley and Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez. The 12-round match against Bradley will be the first in the last seven months for Pacquiao following his highly-debated 12-round majority decision win over Marquez last November. The 90-day stretch will also see Nonito Donaire Jr. facing Mexican Christian Mijares for the WBO super-bantamweight championship. Donaire is fighting for the second time this year. He previously scored a 12-round split decision over Puerto Rican Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. at the Alamodome, in San Antonio, Texas in February. The match with Mijares, the former International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-flyweight champion, is penciled on July 14 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Brian Viloria will actually kikc-off the Filipinos' busy campaign on May 12 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City for a third meeting with Mexican Omar Niño Romero. On the line is Viloria's WBO flyweight crown, but payback will also be on top of the Filipino-American boxer's priority as he tries to avenge his 2006 loss (12-round unanimous decision) to the Mexican that cost him his World Boxing council (WBC) light-flyweight title. Viloria actually, lost in their rematch three months later, but the bout was later declared a no-contest after Romero failed the post-fight drug test. The 30-year-old Viloria, a native of Waipahu, Hawaii, but born to Filipino parents, is coming off an impressive eight-round technical knockout of Giovanni Segura in their action-packed match held in December also at the Ynares Arena. WBO light-flyweight titlist Donnie "Ahas" Nietes completes the lineup with a June 2 showdown against Felipe Salguero of Mexico. This will be Nietes' first defense of the 108-lb. championship he won with a 12-round unanimous decision over Ramon Garcia Hirales last October at the University of St. La Salle gym in Bacolod. The Nietes-Salguero title clash will be held at the Resorts World Hotel. — JVP, GMA News