It would take Filipino challenger Garen Diagan to beat two opponents on 26 August in faraway San Juan, Puerto Rico to become a world champion.
Both are formidable foes: Puerto Rican champion Oscar Collazo and an infamous tormentor named “Jet Lag.”
Unable to get his travel documents way ahead of the intended departure date, Diagan and his team leave for Puerto Rico on Friday, still oozing with optimism that they can all pull it off.
Though Diagan is embarking on a long trip that kicks off in Manila, it won’t be his first time to experience traveling long distances.
Almost a year ago, Diagan journeyed to Pretoria in South Africa and stopped Simpiwe Konkco.
In logging a 10-3-0 win-loss-draw record after seven years as a professional, Diagan has also seen action in Vietnam and Thailand.
But this will be his first crack at a world title and getting the job done is going to entail more than shaking off the dizzying 12-hour time difference between the Philippines and Puerto Rico with the Caribbean nation half a day behind.
Collazo packs a 7-0 mark with five knockouts and has actually made a habit of defeating Filipinos, including Melvin Jerusalem, from whom he had snatched the WBO 105-lb crown via stoppage last May in Indio, California.
Apart from Jerusalem, Collazo, had also victimized Victorio Saludar and is being groomed as the next Puerto Rican sensation.
Fighting on enemy territory, Diagan is the massive underdog at +640 ($100 wins $640).
In contrast, Collazo is listed as -1000 ($1,000 wins $100).
If he wins the battle of southpaws, Diagan will join Marlon Tapales as the Philippines’ reigning world champions.
