CEBU CITY—Milan Melindo is not called “El Metodico” for nothing.
He doesn’t launch an attack off the starting gate or hammer opponents with a single punch. Instead, the 24-year-old from Cagayan de Oro stalks his foe, looks for a weakness and cuts them down with surgical precision.
“I know how to pace myself,” Melindo, the WBO flyweight No. 1 contender, said in Filipino. “I don’t like going all out. I like engaging and looking for an opportunity to strike.”
And though he gets criticized for allegedly not having a knockout punch and by being too stylish, Melindo has been proving his detractors wrong with an unblemished record in 27 fights, including 11 knockouts.
Most probably, his fighting style evolved throughout his 11 years in the amateur ranks where he said he has fought for at least 600 fights.
“I stayed very long in the amateurs, but my regret is that I wasn’t able to make it to the national team,” bared Melindo, who was to face his toughest fight yet against Jean Piero Perez of Venezuela Saturday night here.
Perez, at 5-4 two inches taller than Melindo, has a solid record of 19-4-1 including 14 KOs. The former WBA flyweight champion is also noted for taking out his opponents in the early rounds.
According to his stats, 12 of Perez’s KO wins happened not later than the fourth round. Six of them took place in the second.
“I watched his tapes and I like his style because we have contrasting styles,” said Melindo.
A win against Perez could propel Melindo to a world title fight. He had earlier beaten former champions Muhammad Rachmann and Carlos Tamara. He also scored a first-round KO of Jesus Geles.
Right now, Melindo is in the top 10 of all boxing bodies at 112.
“I’m not in a hurry to get to the top, I believe that I have to be patient and wait for the right time,” added Melindo. “Because when I finally get there I want it to last a long time.”