Davao’s best martial artist, Steve Grandeza, was 100 percent ready to fight in Dubai, but organizers informed him that it had been reset, yet again, for which the organizers reportedly apologized.
KO Promotions, organizer of the Filipino versus the Rest of the World bouts calendared June 4 as the new fight date of the Dabawenyo against No.1 contender George “Titanium” Micouris for the vacant WBL Middle East muay thai crown.
Grandeza and coach Edgar Paulino were already in Cebu for their flight to Dubai when organizers called citing that a member of the management team was not able to return on his scheduled date to manage the fighters in Dubai. His absence forced KO Promotions to reset the fight.
Dabawenyos had been waiting for the fight to happen last April 23 against defending champion Najmeddin “Scorpion” Al Hadad, who reportedly refused to fight Grandeza and was stripped of his title.
Grandeza re-programmed his training schedule, but said that they could make the needed adjustments. “We will be ready, still,” the Asia United Bank-Monteverde Branch account officer told Edge Davao.
The young Grandeza is the son of Master Edgardo “Bing” Grandeza of the Philippine Moo Duk Kwan-Soo Bahk Do Association, who trained him to become Davao’s finest martial artist.
KO Promotions started to notice the Dabawenyo when he ruled the Ultimate Strikers 3 muay thai kickboxing tournament on November 30, 2008 at the SM Southmall in Las Pinas City.
Grandeza, an underdog, scored a technical knockout win against the undefeated Ariel Cabusas of Yawyan Pasay in the final.
After the fight, World and Asian San Shou gold medalist Rene Catalan started his training, too, with Grandeza and exchanged notes on how to improve their fighting skills. [MOSES P. BILLACURA]
