Mayol vs Nino II

To become a champion, Rodel Mayol took no shortcuts. He bled, cried and poured out an immeasurable amount of sweat to get where he is right now- and that is the WBC world light flyweight king.But even as the champion, Mayol is still fighting as if he's the underdog. His last four fights, all with world title belts on the line, have been on enemy territory- something the gutsy and seasoned pro Mayol relishes.

"I have a lot of experience fighting out of my hometown- Japan, Indonesia, Mexico- so I've been fighting there in my opponents' hometown so it doesn't matter to me what town it is. I just focus on the fight," Mayol told Examiner collegue Brad Cooney back in August '09 prior to his title fight and rematch against Ivan Calderon in Puerto Rico. On June 19, Mayol will be playing a familiar role when he defends his title against Mexican challenger Omar Nino Romero in Queretaro, Mexico after their controversial fight last February that ended in a technical draw.

Mayol was tagged with illegal punches by Romero that night and after getting hit by a low blow, was knocked out cold by a punch to the jaw before the referee could step in and intervene.Mayol is fast becoming a 'road warrior' as much as he has been fighting away from home comforts in the last two years. And as much as he wants to get a fight in his home turf as the champion, Mayol is not one to back down from any fight or any challenge. This is after all nothing compared to the obstacles he's already surpassed earlier in his career.