by Ronnie Nathanielsz

Milan Melindo blamed American referee Gerard White for his poor decisions that eventually deprived him of victory in his IBF light flyweight title bout against champion Javier Mendoza of Mexico last Saturday night.

In an overseas telephone conversation with the New Standard/krikya360.com from Los Angeles, Melindo claimed the cut on Mendoza’s left eye was caused by a legitimate punch and not by an accidental clash of heads - and that referee White did not signal that the cut was caused by a head-butt when the fight was stopped on the advice of the ring doctor.

The officials made the mistake of going to the scorecards that enabled Mendoza to retain his title with a lopsided technical points decision when it should have been a 6th round TKO in favor  of Melindo.

The challenger explained his strategy which resulted in Mendoza winning in the first six rounds when he was the aggressor, telling us - “I knew Mendoza was strong and I planned to be defensive in the first six rounds and ready to turn as the aggressor in the second half of the fight” when his body shots began to hurt the fading champion.

Melindo said “I knew his weakness was in absorbing body shots” and in the earlier rounds when he landed some solid body shots referee White mistakenly ruled them as low blows allowing Mendoza to lean on the ropes and rest even as he admitted landing one low blow.

He also cited the referee’s mistake in the opening round when he dropped Mendoza with a right to the side of the head which White inexplicably ruled a low blow.

Melindo insisted “it was a good shot.”

Trainer Edito “Ala” Villamor said Melindo was “okay but naturally depressed because he lost a won fight” which was his second loss in a world title bid having earlier dropped a unanimous twelve round decision to the bigger WBO/WBA flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada in Macau.

Villamor said that ALA Promotions  president Michael Aldeguer was talking to Zanfer Promotions in an effort to arrange a rematch in Manila.