By Ronnie Nathanielsz

TWO potential future Filipino world champions face two former world champions as ALA Promotions teams up with ABS-CBN to bring another blockbuster boxing event to the plush Waterfront Resort Hotel and Casino in Cebu on March 14 titled ?Judgement Day.?

In two exciting matchups, the fight card will feature two former International Boxing Federation world champions?Roberto Leyva of Mexico and Muhammad Rachman of Indonesia?who will wage war with two champions in the making in Z ?The Dream? Gorres and Milan ?El Maestro? Melindo, respectively, both of the ALA gym.

Gorres, who has fought the best in his division and scored an 8th-round TKO over former light flyweight champion Eric Ortiz, headlines the card. He lost a hugely controversial decision to World Boxing Organization champion Fernando Montiel and dropped an equally controversial draw in an ugly brawl with current World Boxing Council/World Boxing Association/IBF super flyweight champion Vic Darchinyan in an IBF super flyweight eliminator.

The 26-year-old Gorres will face another formidable foe in Leyva, whose punching power is evident in his 20 knockouts in 25 wins, although he has 8 losses and a draw.

Leyva, whose nickname ?Mako,? is derived from a specie of shark, is not only a former IBF champion, but at one time was also WBC Youth world champion after beating Roberto Gomez for the title.

But the fight that is being eagerly awaited is the encounter between the very promising Milan ?El Maestro? Melindo, one of the finest boxers in the ALA Gym, and former champion Muhammad Rachman, who lost his title in an action-packed battle with Filipino southpaw Florante Condes on July7, 2007.

The 20-year-old Melindo has a 17-0 record with 5 KOs and was impressive in halting Tanzanian Juma Fundi in the 3rd round to retain his WBO Asia-Pacific 105 lbs. title last Oct. 30, 2008 in Cagayan de Oro City.

It was his explosive win over Panama ?s highly-regarded Carlos Melo that won many fans for the unbeaten Melindo. It also catapulted Melindo to WBO #1, WBA #4 and WBC #6 and is at the moment, the highest world-rated contender among Filipino fighters.