Former Pacquiao sparmate Melgarejo retains RP crown

MANILA, Philippines - Aaron Melgarejo, a former sparmate of pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, successfully defended his Philippine super-featherweight crown by beating Mike “Tyson" Tumbaga at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex over the weekend. Melgarejo, who helped Pacquiao train for one of his big outings in 2007, needed to finish strong in the last three rounds to hack out a majority decision over Tumbaga. Judge Romy Yulo saw the match for Melgarejo, 118-110, as did Epi Almeda who gave the champion a 115-113 score. The third judge, Ricardo Canlas, put it as a 114-114 draw. With the victory, Melgarejo also emerged as the top contender and mandatory challenger to Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) champion Takashi Uchiyama of Japan. Tumbaga took the upper hand early in the match with the RP No. 7–rated super-featherweight connecting with a right hook and a right straight when he and Melgarejo fought toe-to-toe in the third round. But Melgarejo, using his advantage in reach, seized control beginning the eighth, landing jab-straight-hook combinations. The champion put Tumbaga at bay with his jabs and hit the challenger with straight and hooks in the next three rounds. And in the 12th round, boxing fans saw both fighters going all out as they tried to impress the judges. But in the end, Tumbaga's unimpressive in the closing rounds gave Melgarejo the advantage in the judges’ eyes. “Ang gandang laban at kung hindi sana nagpabaya si Tumbaga sa nine to eleven baka natalo pa si Melgarejo," explained promoter Dante Almario. – Perry Legaspi, GMANews.TV