Villanueva ready to die in Singapore title fight

SINGAPORE—Although unbeaten in 24 pro fights, power-punching Lorenzo Villanueva promises nothing special when he clashes with a sharp, stylish Indonesian for the world featherweight boxing title today at the fabulous Marina Bay Sands in this neat, orderly island state, lead playground destination in Asia.

“All he told me is that they’ll have to kill him to keep him from winning,” confided sportsman Manny Piñol, the former North Cotabato governor who manages Villanueva together with his brothers in the Braveheart boxing stable.

Villanueva, 26, with a 24-0 (23 KO) record, has been tagged the underdog against the sweet-punching Daud Cino Yordan, 24, a former Olympian with 28 pro wins (22 KO) and only two losses.

Villanueva, who was orphaned after his father was slain when he was 14, has been tagged the underdog in the bout, a companion main event to the WBA featherweight title fight between Indon Chris John, a conqueror of Juan Manuel Marquez, and Japan’s Shoji Kimura.

Villanueva is expected to be on all-out attack mode at the first bell.

“The future of his brothers and sisters will depend on his fight here,” Piñol said. “Either they languish in poverty or face a better future.”

“I’m ready to die for this fight,” Villanueva said in the Visayan dialect.