Just one more step for Milan

JUST when he needed to come up with a big win to rekindle his hopes for another title fight, Milan Melindo came up with an impressive performance last Saturday night to defeat Fahlan Sakreerin Jr and annex the interim IBF junior flyweight title.

Milan was very sharp and accurate for most of the fight, and clearly deserved the unanimous decision verdict.

THE FIGHT. The youthful Sakreerin was the taller , lankier fighter but in the early rounds, it was the jab from the shorter Milan that repeatedly found its mark.

Everytime he got tagged, Sakreerin would smile and shrug as if to show he wasn't hurt but by the middle rounds, he still had not found the antidote for that thudding, spearing jab.

To be fair, Sakreerin was always in the fight as he would land his fair share of jabs and right hands, but the more telling and more jarring blows were consistently landed by "El Metodico".

Sakreerin tried to rally in the second half of the fight, and to me his best round was the 10th, but Milan was still matching him punch for punch.

By the time the championship rounds arrived, Milan was comfortably ahead and in the 12th round the visiting Thai fighter needed a kayo to win.

It was not meant to be as Milan was also able finish strong.

Congratulations Milan. All that hard work has paid off. Now you are just one fight away from legitimizing that world champion tag. UNDERCARD. The Pagara brothers also proved to be both victorious, albeit their wins came in contrasting fashion. Prince Albert Pagara won via unanimous decision over Ghana's Raymond Commey but it was a very uneventful fight.

Albert looked uninspired and seemed content to coast along and struggle with an ordinary fighter of Commey's caliber.

No wonder there was a smattering of boos over his humdrum performance.

In contrast , older bro Jason ended his fight in spectacular fashion as he made short work of Jason Alfaro.

A hard hook to the liver in the very first round ended matters for Alfaro who had to deal with tragic news about his father's death the same day he left Nicaragua to travel to the Philippines for the fight.

Felt really sorry for the poor kid, whose mind was obviously not in the fight.

VERBATIM. “He was saying he's a gladiator, he's a warrior, he's here to hurt people and win. But after he quit the fight, I don't count him anymore as a fighter"

- Vasyl Lomachenko after defeating Nicholas Walters (http://www.boxing. com)

LAST ROUND. It's on Erlinda Sayson- doting mom to Sigfred, Homer and Jordan, who celebrates her birthday today. Cheers!