Dapudong camp worries about heat; Marquez concerned of hook

WBA Flyweight Championship

 

DAPUDONG CAMP WORRIES ABOUT HEAT;

CHAMP MARQUEZ CONCERNED OF HOOK

 

By Carlos Bautista 

City of Hermosillo, Mexico - With just a day remaining before Mexican champion Hernan "Tyson" Marquez defends his World Boxing Association (WBA) title for the first time against dangerous Filipino challenger Edrin "The Sting" Dapudong, both camps have showed concern of two factors that could affect the outcome of the fight.

 

For the Mexican champion, it is Dapudong's vaunted left hook that they are concerned with. And rightly so. In June last year, in spite of the short notice, the Filipino fighter used that left hook to knock out then No. 1 Mexican flyweight Jesus "Zurdo" Jimenez to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight silver title. 

 

While Dapudong lost that title by decision in September 2010, the video of that fight against Jimenez is all over the Internet and serves as a fair warning to the champion that the Filipino challenger, who again was informed of the fight only two weeks ago, is capable of scoring an upset.

 

Dapudong's camp, on the other hand, has expressed worries about the searing heat even at night in this city of 1 million people located right in the middle of the desert in Sonora, with the mercury hitting 105F during daytime.

 

"I went out of the hotel at 8:30 p.m. to buy slippers and the air was so hot I felt like I was standing beside a running diesel engine," said Dapudong's manager, former North Cotabato governor Manny Pinol.

 

Both camps, however, have an antidote for their perceived problems.

 

In public workout Thursday, Mexican champion Marquez, a southpaw, was seen keeping his right gloves high up apparently to cover his right face which could be vulnerable to the Filipino's left hook while throwing a lot of left straights and uppercuts.

 

"They have studied Bungis (Dapudong's nickname) a lot and they know that the left hook could flatten Marquez," said Bruce Lerio, Braveheart Boxing Club's assistant trainer who will be at the corner of the challenger, along with cutman Nonito Donaire, Sr., on fight night.

 

The Filipino camp, on the other hand, are prepared for the heat. Food with considerable amount of salt and chocolates, and electrolytes have been prepared for the Filipino challenger to take right after the weigh in.

 

ALA Boxing Promotions vice president Dennis Canete, Dapudong's promoter, has prepared three pails full of bottled water and ice for fight night.

 

While the Filipinos are prepared for a long fight, they have one other option: end the fight early.

 

With all bases seemingly covered by both camps, it will be seen on fight night who between them has prepared better for the perceived problems.(pr)