By Ronnie Nathanielsz

ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer has succeeded in convincing Mexican promoter Fernando Beltran to give Milan Melindo a chance for a rematch against former IBF light flyweight champion Javier Mendoza who beat Melindo in a title fight on May 30, 2015 in Mexico but subsequently lost his title to Japan’s Akira Yaegashi by a twelve round unanimous decision on December 29, 2015.

The International Boxing Federation told Aldeguer to begin negotiations with Zanfer Promotions for a rematch with the No.1 ranking at stake, which Aldeguer successfully completed and informed The Standard on Tuesday night at the “Flash” Elorde Annual Awards.

Aldeguer said the Melindo-Mendoza rematch will be featured on the undercard of WBO light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes’ title defense against former champion Raul “Rayito” Garcia in Bacolod City on May 28.

The fight card will also be further strengthened with a return to the ring by King Arthur Villanueva who suffered a controversial 10th round technical decision loss to Puerto Rico’s McJoe Arroyo in El Paso, Texas on July 18, 2015. Aldeduer told us “Milan now has a chance to avenge his defeat to Mendoza.”

Melindo blamed American referee Gerard White for his poor decisions that eventually deprived him of victory in his IBF light flyweight title bout  against champion Javier Mendoza of Mexico.

In an overseas telephone conversation with The Standard/BoxingScene.com from Los Angeles the day after the fight , Melindo claimed the cut on  Mendoza’s left eye was  caused by a legitimate punch and not by an accidental clash of heads and that referee White did not signal that the cut was caused by a head-butt when the fight was stopped on  the advice of the ring doctor.

The officials made the mistake of going to the scorecards that enabled Mendoza to retain his title with a lopsided technical points decision when it should have been a 6th round TKO in favor  of Melindo.

Melindo explained his strategy which resulted in Mendoza winning the first six rounds when he was the aggressor, telling us. “I knew Mendoza was strong and I planned to be defensive in the first six rounds and ready to  turn aggressor in the second half of the fight” when his body shots began to hurt the fading champion.

Melindo said “I knew his weakness was in absorbing body shots” and in the earlier rounds when he landed some solid body shots referee White mistakenly ruled them as low blows allowing Mendoza to lean on the ropes and rest even as he admitted landing one low blow although he was deducted for two supposed low blows, one in round 4 and another in round 5.

He also cited the referee’s  mistake in the opening round when he dropped Mendoza with a right to the side of the head which White inexplicably ruled a low blow. Melindo insisted “it was a good shot.”

Melindo was cut on the right eye after an accidental clash of heads early in the 6th round with the fight being stopped at 2:39 of the same round when Mendoza's left eye was cut following a clash of heads.

Trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor said Melindo was “okay but naturally depressed because he lost a won fight” which was his second loss in a world title bid having earlier dropped a unanimous twelve round decision to the bigger WBO/WBA flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada in Macau on July 27, 2013.