by Ronnie Nathanielsz

Well-known Australian promoter and co-manager of WBA light flyweight-interim champion Randy “Razor” Petalcorin wants the talented southpaw to face IBF champion Javier Mendoza who last weekend won a controversial 6th round TKO victory over Melindo in Mexico.

Maniatis who shot down co-manager Jim Mananquil’s suggestion that Petalcorin face Melindo said “we’d rather do a Mendoza fight because it will motivate Petalcorin to avenge Melindo’s questionable loss” even as he insisted he was against Filipino fighting Filipino when they could go after separate world titles.

He noted that Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions and Top Rank’s Bob Arum do business together and arranging a Petalcorin-Mendoza title fight shouldn’t be too difficult.

Maniatis, the multi-titled promoter said a Mendoza-Petalcorin title fight “has something to offer.”

Petalcorin retained his WBA Interim title with a devastating 1st round knockout of Chinese challenger Ma Ying Ming in Beijing after dropping the challenger three times in the opening round with the end coming at 2:30 of the round and improved his record to 24-1-1 with 19 knockouts.

Petalcorin had earlier knocked out Panama’s Walter Tello in the 7th round to win the Interim title at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghgai, China on August 26 last year.

Petalcorin dominated the fight throughout with his superior boxing skills highlighted by his counter uppercuts from a southpaw stance and left crosses but it was a right hook that ended the bout.

A right hook following a left uppercut dropped Tello for the first time but after the Panamanian beat the count a counter right hook from Petalcorin and a left cross which sent Tello to the canvas for a second time before the bout was stopped shortly afterwards.