Filipino flyweight Edren "The Sting" Dapudong
arrived in this mountain city near the Pacific Coast of Mexico yesterday
after a long and rigorous travel to take on the biggest fight of his young
boxing career, the World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver Flyweight Championship
against Mexico's Jesus "The Destroyer" Jimenez on Saturday, June 19.
Braveheart Boxing Club chief trainer Noli Pinol said Dapudong, 23, the
former World Boxing Organization (WBO) Youth Asia Pacific Miniflyweight
Champion and Oriental Junior Flyweight Champion, has no problem making the
112-lb. weight limit. He is also confident that the last minute conditioning
tips shared by top conditioning coach Justin Fortune will help the fighter
from North Cotabato acclimatize and overcome fatigue.
Fortune, who is known to Filipino boxing fans as the conditioning coach of
boxing icon Manny Pacquiao before he and Hall of Fame boxing trainer Freddie
Roach parted ways, provided Dapudong with last minute dietary instructions
upon the request of the Filipino boxer's manager, North Cotabato Vice Gov.
Manny Pinol.
"It will not do much but it will help him acclimatize and overcome fatigue,"
Fortune told Vice Gov. Pinol when they met in Los Angeles, California prior
to the arrival of Dapudong and Noli Pinol.
Fortune said his dietary tips will address the biggest problem encountered
by travelling fighters -- acclimatization and fatigue.
During the press briefing held in Tepic yesterday, Noli and Dapudong were
also pleasantly surprised when Jimenez, who is listed in boxrec.com as being
5' 7", is just half an inch taller than the 5' 5" tall Filipino fighter.
"He is not 5' 7" after all," said Noli adding that the height factor will no
longer come into play in the championship fight.
Dapudong, a farmer's son from M'lang, North Cotabato, is largely unknown to
many boxing fans but boxing experts, including veteran boxing manager Lito
Mondejar, has identified him as a world title prospect.
The most important fights that Dapudong figured in were against former world
miniflyweight champion Muhammad Rachman of Indonesia which he lost by
decision and against veteran Bert Batawang whom he knocked out in Cebu City
last year to win the WBO Oriental Junior Flyweight crown.(pr)
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