Juan Miguel Elorde attempts to put his illustrious surname back on the spotlight after more than half a century when he fights for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) super-bantamweight crown Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) in Las Vegas.
Elorde, grandson of the late Hall of Fame entrant Gabriel ‘Flash’ Elorde, battles defending champion Emanuel Navarrete of Mexico in a scheduled 12-rounder at the T-Mobile Arena.
Flash Elorde reigned as world junior-lightweight king from March 1960 until June 1967. He also two brave attempts at winning Carlos Ortiz’s world lightweight title in 1964 and 1966 and was beaten by Sandy Saddler on a controversial stoppage for the world feather diadem in 1956.
Navarrete is making the second defense of the WBO 112-lb title he won by knocking out the fearsome Ghanaian Isaac Dogboe.
About four weeks ago, Navarrete easily bludgeoned Fernando de Vaca in three rounds, prompting Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank to set him up for a quick ring return during Mexican Independence weekend.
Elorde, 32, arrived in the US on Sept. 1 and was actually in the thick of training for a Sept. 20 fight in manila when a call came asking if he was interested in meeting Navarrete.
Navarrete, 24, is so heavily favored to repulse Elorde that to win a mere $100, a bettor has to shell out $2,500 for a Navarrete victory. A $100 bet on Elorde wins $1,000.
During the official weighin on the eve of the fight, Elorde (28-1 with 15 KOs) came in at 121.2 lbs; Navarrete (28-1 with 24 KOs) tipped in at 121.8 lbs. The division limit is 122 lbs.
Elorde insists that while Navarrete is the bettors’ pick, he has actually figured him out.
Pretty soon, Elorde will get the answer if indeed he has Navarrete’s number. (Nick Elorde)
