John Vincent Moralde eyes to sign up with American promoter
By CHARLES RAYMOND A. MAXEY
FROM Down Under to America.
This is the path John Vincent Moralde is taking after winning the World Boxing Council (WBC) Asia featherweight crown just a couple of weeks back.
The 20-year-old Moralde said his manager Jim Claude Mananguil is planning to sign him with Zab Judah’s Super Judah Promotions this year.
Moralde said the agreement, if it pushes through, will have him seeing action in Las Vegas as part of his promotional fights under the American promoter.
Moralde said his manager told him about the plan after beating Brayd Smith last March 14 in Australia.
“I might be fighting in Las Vegas,” Moralde said in the vernacular.
But, before that, the young boxer from NHA Buhangin will climb the ring either in May or June this year.
Moralde, however, cannot give further details about the fight as negotiations are still ongoing.
Just recently, Morade was recognized during the flag-raising ceremony at the City Hall grounds.
The young boxer also got the thrill of his life when he met Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte, who even surprised him with a cash incentive of P20,000.
Moralde admitted the death of Smith following their bout initially affected him.
“I really felt sorry it ended that way. I sent my condolences to Smith’s family. His father said they are not blaming me for what happened,” Moralde said.
Brendon Smith was at his son’s corner during the fight.
Moralde recalled that immediately after the bout, Brayd Smith congratulated him even asked to have a photo taken with him and his manager.
He obliged and that was the last time he saw Smith alive.
The Australian boxer returned to his dressing room and collapsed some 90 minutes after the fight. He was placed in an induced coma and passed away two days later in a hospital when life support was taken off.
Smith was fighting in his hometown in Toowoomba, Australia, and had an unblemished record of 12-0 before facing the also undefeated Moralde in a ten-round championship bout.
Moralde, called Mulawin by his mother Erlinda and who now owns a record of 12-0 with six knockouts, is just one among a family of boxers. His elder brother Engelbert is the more popular of the two.
John Vincent Moralde, along with five of his stablemates at Sanman, was cited at the recent 15th Annual Elorde Awards in Manila for winning the World Boxing Federation (WBF) International super bantamweight title last September in General Santos City.
Moralde and Smith will forever be linked by the tragedy in Australia, but the young Filipino boxer said he will continue fighting to feed his family.
He has a four-year-old son named Prince with wife Karen, his neighbor in NHA, Buhangin.
It will not be long before John Vincent Moralde climbs the ring anew to showcase his skills.
Who knows, this young man might end up the next Filipino world champion.
