Milan “El Metodico” Melindo (32-2) lost via technical decision in his title clash against the International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Light Flyweight champion Javier “Cobra” Mendoza (24-2-1) at the Campo Nuevo Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, Sunday morning.
The fight ended at 2:39 of Round 6 when ringside officials and the doctors ruled that Mendoza was unable to continue after an inadvertent headbutt by the Filipino. The foul resulted to a cut above the left eye of the Mexican world champion. Judges scored the bout all in favor of the Mexican “Cobra” 60-52, 60-52 and 53-59.
“El Metodico” had early success in the first round, but could not keep it going after the taller Mendoza utilized his length and aggression to keep the Filipino pugilist at bay. In the fifth round, things went further south for Melindo as he was deducted a point due to an accumulation of fouls (low blows). It was a disappointing performance by the Filipino and the fight was sloppy as a whole.
With the win, Mendoza is now riding an 11-fight win streak dating back to 2011. On the other hand, the Cebu City native has lost two of his last five fights. Moreover, the only two losses in his career have come from world championship bouts. The first against Juan Francisco Estrada in a WBO Flyweight Championship match in Cotai Arena, Macao, China last July 27, 2013.
