Garen Diagan faces a daunting task when he attempts to win a world boxing crown on 26 August in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Ranged against defending World Boxing Organization minimumweight champion Oscar Collazo, Diagan finds himself not just fighting on hostile ground but likewise on the ugly end of the storied Philippines vs Puerto Rico rivalry.
Through the years, both nations have faced collided in the ring with the Puerto Ricans seemingly superior in world title fights.
In the 1960s, Flash Elorde, bidding to become world lightweight champion, was knocked out twice by Carlos Ortiz and in the 1970s, Sammy Serrano put an end to the reign of Ben Villaflor as world super-feather king.
The last marquee matchup featuring the Philippines and Puerto Rico happened almost 14 years ago when Manny Pacquiao battled Miguel Cotto.
Pacquiao proved to be the better man as he stopped Cotto in the dying seconds of the 12th round.
Diagan, who comes from General Santos City, has been moving heaven and earth trying to reach razor-sharp form, knowing he has to be at his optimum to realize his dream.
In fact, Garin has been getting quality sparring while training at the Elorde Sports Center in Paranaque while waiting for the go-signal to fly to Puerto Rico via the US Mainland.
Under the guidance of Rod Sarguilla, Garin insists he is doing everything possible to fulfill his dream.
His title shot was arranged by Sanman Boxing head JC Mananquil and Sean Gibbons, whose influence reaches all corners of the globe.
In the meantime, Diagan is taking it nice and easy as his team awaits the necessary travel documents.
“We’d like to leave right away so we can adjust to the timezone,” he said.
Collazo, a southpaw, is the prohibitive favorite owing yo his unbeaten record of 7-0 with five knockouts and his tremendous skillset.
Diagan, also a lefty like his fancied foe, holds a 10-3 mark with five knockouts.
