Belandres In Shape for Biggest Fight In Young Career

Former amateur standout and college student Reynaldo Belandres is just 3 pounds over the featherweight limit as he gets into perfect shape for the biggest fight of his young career, the World Boxing Council (WBC) World Youth Featherweight Championship against Australia's Davey Brown on Oct. 9 in Sydney.

Belandres, 23, undefeated in 17 professional fights with two draws and 10 KOs, will be flying to Sydney on Oct. 6 along with assistant trainer Bruce Lerio. His manager, North Cotabato Vice Gov. Manny Pinol, is set to take the trip a day before the fight.

Belandres and Lerio will be welcomed in Sydney by Garry Keane, an Australian who is married to Vice Gov. Pinol's cousin, Mae, and former professional fighter Todd Makelin, a friend of the vice governor who fought Manny Pacquiao many years ago in Kidapawan City.

"This is just a World Youth Championship but for us in North Cotabato, this is something very big because this will be the first time one of our boxers will be fighting for a world championship," said Vice Gov. Pinol.

Vice Gov. Pinol said he decided to travel to Australia because he wanted to be in the corner of Belandres during the fight.

"Belandres is young and he needs a lot of guidance during the fight," he said.

Against Brown, Belandres will be facing a very tall fighter who is a ring tactician and has fought many difficult bouts in his career.

"If Reynaldo wins this one, then the regular world featherweight title will be in our sights," he said.

Belandres is one of the many outstanding boxers of the Braveheart Boxing Club of North Cotabato, five of whom are already regional champions of the World Boxing Organization (WBO).

The WBO regional champions are: Rommel "Little Assassin" Asenjo, 20, miniflyweight Oriental titlist; Edrin "The Sting" Dapudong, 23, junior flyweight Oriental champion; Rolando "Smooth Operator" Magbanua, 24, WBO Interim Oriental bantamweight champion; Jundy "Pretty Boy" Maraon, 24, WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight champion and Lorenzo "Thunderbolt" Villanueva, 23, WBO Oriental Featherweight titlist.