MARK MELLIGEN vs NORBERTO GONZALEZ

It’s Mexico versus the Philippines again on Saturday’s Top Rank Live! show on Fox Sports Espanol when Mexican welter champion Norberto Gonzalez takes on the sharp-punching Filipino southpaw Mark Melligen.

Last month Richie Mepranum of the Philippines came in as the underdog and comfortably outpointed Mexico’s strong but, as it turned out, overrated Hernan “Tyson” Marquez.

This time the Filipino fighter is the favourite. Melligen was, I thought, a little unlucky to lose to Mexico’s Michel Rosales on a split decision in his only defeat. I was ringside that night in Las Vegas and I had the fight a draw. Gonzalez also has lost only once, but there was no doubt about that one — he was well beaten by the talented Antwone Smith on Friday Night Fights 14 months ago. Gonzalez suffered a knockdown and finished cut over the left eye and under the right. It is no disgrace losing to a boxer as competent as Smith, though, and Gonzalez won the vacant Mexican title in his last fight with a widely scored points win over a distinctly ordinary fighter named Manuel Garcia.

Melligen, 24, looks the more talented fighter but he faded in the last two rounds against Rosales, which cost him the fight. There were extenuating circumstances, because Melligen’s friend, Z Gorres, collapsed after an earlier fight and was rushed to hospital for emergency brain surgery, and this is thought to have unsettled Melligen.

Gonzalez is tough and willing but hittable, and he looks the type of fighter who cuts easily. This will be his second fight in the U.S. and I understand he has trained for two months for the contest. Gonzalez is 28 and this is the fight that will decide his career. If he wins he can be brought back for TV appearances, but a loss will position him as nothing more than a game trier who can beat limited fighters in Mexico but is just an opponent at the higher level. I am expecting a brave, aggressive effort from Gonzalez, and if there is one thing in his favour it is that he has been a welterweight all his career while Melligen boxed as a junior welter until about a year ago: Melligen is faster but Gonzalez might be a little stronger.

My suspicion is that Melligen will land enough crisp punches from his southpaw stance to do damage, either stopping a bloodied Gonzalez in seven or eight rounds or beating him on points. There is a determined look to the Mexican fighter, though, and Melligen’s late rounds fade in the bout with Rosales did put a doubt in my mind about the Filipino boxer. Maybe Melligen will dispel those doubts with his performance on Saturday night.