Three Boxers Seek World Titles

MANILA, Philippines - Three Filipino fighters are shooting for fame - and a little bit of fortune - when they aim for world titles in exotic locales in Asia and Mexico in March.

So far, the Philippines boasts of four world champion: World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, WBO super-bantamweight king Nonito Donaire, WBO flyweight boss Brian Viloria and WBO light-fly titlist Donnie Nietes.

Vying for honors in March are flyweights Sonny Boy Jaro (33-10-5 with 23 K0s) and Rodel Mayol (30-5-2 with 22 K0s) and minimumweight Michael Landero (15-5-4 with five K0s).

Kicking off the quest for the Filipino fighters is Jaro, who faces defending champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam for the World Boxing Council 112-lb throne in Chonburi, Thailand on March 2.

On March 3, it will be the turn of Landero, formerly the Orient-Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) champion, who meets WBO 105-lb ruler champion Moises Fuentes of Mexico in Tijuana.

Rodel Mayol, a former world champion, gets his chance on March 24 when he squares off with reigning World Boxing Association supremo Hernan 'Tyson' Marquez in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico.

Landero, 25, is the least known among the three but he has the best chances of winning.

Rommel Nazario, who manages Landero, said the Mexicans are mistaken for thinking that Landero will make Fuentes look good.

''Landero is not a tune-up kind of guy,'' warned Nazario, the son of the late kingmaker Rodolfo Nazario, who steered Pacquiao to stardom in the US. ''He's been training hard the last six weeks.''

Although his record doesn't look as though he is a hard-hitter, Landero is a certified puncher.

In winning the OPBF on hostile ground in May 2010, Landero knocked out Kenichi Orikawa in nine rounds in Osaka and stopped Yasutaka Kuroki in eight rounds in Ibaraki four months later.

''Landero is only getting $10,000 for this fight, but if he wins, a whole new world opens up for him,'' said Nazario, who finalized Landero's title shot only two weeks ago.

Aside from Jaro, Mayol and Landero, other Filipino fighters are set to return to action in the cominmg months.

Viloria will face Mexican nemesis Omar Nino Romero in a defense of the WBC 112-lb crown on April 1 here in Manila, while Nietes is also slated to fight sometime in the month.

Pacquiao meets Tim Bradley on June 9 in Las Vegas and Donaire duels with Mexican Victor Terrazas on July 14 in Dallas.