Benguet fighter eyes win over tough Irish ex-world boxing champ

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — It’s fight night Saturday for up and coming Jelbirt Gomera of the Highland Boxing Promotion as he takes on former world champion Ryan Burnett in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Friday (Saturday in the Philippines).

“Our fighter is ready to go the distance,” said Highland top man Brico Santig, whose ward left for the United Kingdom last Tuesday for his final preparation for the big fight.

“This is a rare opportunity to pass by,” said Santig, who is also the manager of 25-year-old Gomera.

Earlier, the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) refused to let Gomera fight the tough Irishman and former world champion Burnett, whose only loss was to Filipino great Nonito Donaire Jr. in the World Boxing Championship (WBC) Super Series in July 2018.

After more than 10 days of lobbying with the GAB that he is ready to fight former World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Burnett, Gomera will now return to the ring for a shot at world fame.

Gomera is relatively unknown in the bigger circle of boxing.

The GAB reversed its decision on May 4 setting up what could be the biggest fight for a Benguet-based fighter in more than 40 years. The last was Rey Tam in 1975.

GAB’s decision to allow Gomera

Last April 16, GAB boxing and contact sports chief, Dioscoro Bautista, decided against the granting of a GAB approval to let Gomera (13-4-0, win-loss-draw card with 7 knockouts) fight in Ireland.

Bautista questioned Gomera’s capability to fight the Irishman who only lost once in his 19 fights that saw him unify the bantamweight crown in the World Boxing Association (WBA) and take the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

Bautista said that Burnett is a level above Gomera, who has won two of his past three fights and is among the top 15 contenders, which are the requirements needed to fight abroad.

While Burnett lost in his last fight, Gomera won “only” a six-rounder fight against Lloyd Jardelisa on November 10 last year.

Burnett, on the other hand, lost in the WBC super series quarterfinals to Donaire due to a fifth-round back injury. Donaire is now going to the finals after knocking out Stephon Young in the semifinals in Lafayette, Louisiana last month and retain the WBA belt he took from Burnett.

Santig appealed the GAB decision since they work within the body’s guidelines and that the fight was already sanctioned by the WBC International.

He said that the decision may have been spurred after Renerio Arizala went into a coma after a sixth-round technical knockout loss to Tsuyoshi Tameda recently in Japan.

Santig said GAB may have become stricter in allowing Filipino fighters to box abroad.