Tony Martin reflects on training Mark Melligen, memories from the Philippines, and life in Las Vegas -- Examiner

By Chris Robinson, Examiner.com

A few days ago Welterweight hopeful Mark Melligen was spotted training rigorously at Floyd Mayweather’s personal gym in Las Vegas. The Bacolod City native is getting ready for a do or die rematch against Michel Rosales, the same man who beat him last November, and his preparation for the contest spoke of the importance of the clash.

What should be noted is that Melligen’s trainer Tony Martin is taking the contest just as personal for a variety of reasons. The mild-mannered Martin has put a lot of time into bringing out the best in young Melligen and only in getting to know his full story does everything start to fall into place.

“I can’t divulge too much but I was born in London in the East end of London,” Martin said of his childhood. “It was quite a tough area. I was always getting into problems when I was young. I was getting into forms of street fights and it was eventually a policeman who got a hold of me and said ‘If you keep this up son you are gonna spend your life behind bars’.”

Despite being apparently rough around the edges, Martin would take the officer’s advice and set foot into a boxing gym for the first time. Little did he know how much that move would impact his life on many fronts as he would soon begin immersing himself in a completely new world, one full of growth, discovery, and much travel.

“He told me that I had so much aggression and that I had to take it in the ring,” Martin reflected. “Of course I took it in the ring and boxed amateur but my mother didn’t like it. I had to finish my studies and graduated as an engineer and I went around the world. I met my wife 25 years ago and we decided to get married and later moved to the Philippines. I never left there. My first involvement in the boxing world was when I worked with the Governor and I started training fighters. I remember approaching Antonio Aldeguer at the ALA gym and we started working together and became good friends.”

Martin notes that he spent about twenty years in the Philippines and it is obvious that he wouldn’t trade his experiences for the world. His relationship with ALA continued to flourish and he is now the director of overseas operations as well as serving as their chief trainer in Las Vegas. Looking back on those years in the Philippines Martin can’t help but to crack a smile and reminisce.

“Fantastic,” Martin claimed. “I can’t explain it. It’s like telling people who look at a third world country and say ‘I wouldn’t want to be there’. But until you go there you have to actually be there to realize what it’s all about. There is a different culture there and they are very kind people. They are very nice and they will give you everything they have. After my time here, maybe in another five years I may go back there.”

When asked for his thoughts on the evolution of boxing in the country Martin reveals that there has always been an abundance of talent in the Philippines but that the fighters from the country never had the right platform to display their skills. That all changed, however, once Manny Pacquiao broke onto the scene, as fellow pugilists soon had a path to follow.

“At one time in the world there was a lot of dirty promoters and managers in the Philippines who were short selling boxers and sending them overseas to places like Japan and Thailand,” Martin said. “They were getting beaten badly. Over the years people have come up like Antonio Aldeguer’s gym, ALA Promotions, Rudy Salud, and lots of others in the outside regions of the Philippines. Understand that sometime ago Americans used to think that Philippines boxers were useless and they have nothing to offer. Now that Manny has come up and others have followed him, they have realized these guys can fight. They have been given the right chance to prove everything.”

One of the brighter spots for the country as far as the boxing world is concerned is 24-year old Melligen, who sports a 18-2 record with 13 knockouts while fighting six of his last seven bouts in the States. Looking back on his union with the southpaw fighter Martin speaks of the steps that were taken to help bring the fighter along.

“Well this goes back to the ALA gym,” Martin claimed. “I’ve been training boxers in the ALA gym for so many years and Mark came to my attention two years ago. Tony Aldeguer told me this guy had a prospect and he would like for him to have more experience so he decided to bring him out here. So the first fight we had was in Colorado and after that fight we approached Top Rank and we asked Mr. Arum if he would be interested and he said ‘yeah’.”

Based in Las Vegas primarily for the last four years, Martin found it fitting to bring Melligen into town to further hone his skills. After touching base with a former champion in the area everything was lined up for the fighter to ply his craft in one of the most sought after gyms in the area where top level sparring is never hard to find.

“I knew the Mayweather Gym and I asked [Cornelius Boza Edwards] if we could train and Mark started training here,” Martin noted. “He sparred with Floyd a couple of times. Then he sparred with Devon Alexander, [Marcos] Maidana, in preparation for his fights. Floyd is a master and he is hard to hit but sometimes Mark is elusive as well. Maidana is strong as a bull and if you get punched by him you know it. Devon Alexander is a nice kid and we enjoyed sparring him for two weeks.”

What hasn’t’ been covered is the fact that Melligen wasn’t in the right frame of mind prior to his first bout with Rosales. Just moments before entering the ring Mark was shook after seeing his good friend Z Gorres collapse in the ring after his win over Luis Melendez. Gorres would be rushed to the hospital to have surgery performed to remove swelling of the brain and his career is now over. When Melligen meets Rosales for the second time Martin feels we will be seeing a completely different man in the ring.

“After the last fight with Gonzalez we approached the matchmaker Brad Goodman with Top Rank and asked him if we could have a return against Rosales to redeem ourselves. To prove to everyone that he was lucky that night and also the fact that it won’t be the same Melligen that Rosales met last year. He is totally focused now and he knows Rosales’ moves and he has the capabilities of stopping Rosales. We’re really looking to make a statement.”

Source: examiner.com

Curious break helps Filipino welterweight -- Las Vegas Review-Journal

By STEVE CARP, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Some boxers need a break to be discovered, and that break can come from just about anywhere. In the case of Mark Melligen, it came from a woman who dives into a tank filled with a million gallons of water.

Melligen, a talented welterweight from the Philippines who used to train with Manny Pacquiao, headlines tonight's Top Rank card at the Hard Rock Hotel against Mexican veteran Norberto Gonzalez in a 10-round main event. He can thank his trainer, Tony Martin, for getting him to Top Rank.

In 2008, Martin trained fighters at the old Vegas Gym on East Sahara Avenue while also working with other athletes and dancers. One of those nonboxers was Sarah Molasky, who was appearing in the show "Le Reve" at Wynn Las Vegas, where part of her routine involved diving into a huge tank of water.

Her grandfather Irwin is close friends with Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. Martin thought Melligen, who was still in the Philippines, had the tools to be a champion. But he was wallowing in anonymity.

Martin met with Irwin Molasky, who arranged for Arum, Martin and Melligen to get together. Top Rank eventually signed Melligen after Pacquiao endorsed the welterweight from Bacolod City.

"It changed my life," said Melligen, who debuted for Top Rank on March 7, 2009, and will be fighting for the seventh time for Arum's company. "Top Rank has given me opportunities I probably would not have gotten. I'm keeping busy, fighting every two months. I'm getting better. I'm very happy with the way things have turned out."

Martin said, "There are a lot of talented fighters in the Philippines, but they don't get the exposure. I knew this kid was special, but he just needed someone to see him and give him a chance. I'm very grateful to Sarah and to Irwin for introducing us to Bob and Top Rank."

Melligen (17-2, 13 knockouts) is headlining for the first time. He acknowledged there's pressure on him to produce.

"This is a big opportunity for me," Melligen said. "This is my first time in a main event, and I don't want to let my fans or Top Rank down. I'm going to go out there and fight my fight."

For Melligen, that means good defense, good footwork and no unnecessary risks. Martin said his fighter is sometimes too cautious and that when he has an opponent hurt, he's reluctant to finish him.

"We've been working on going for the kill," he said. "But he's ready for this next step."

In the 10-round co-feature tonight, super featherweight Diego Magdaleno of Las Vegas faces Manny Perez. Magdaleno (14-0, three KOs) spent a week in the altitude of Reno preparing for Perez (14-5-1, two KOs) and his first 10-round fight.

Also appearing on the card will be Las Vegan Anthony Lenk (6-1, three KOs), who will face Wilson Rivera in a six-round super lightweight bout, and super lightweight sensation Jose Benavidez, who has looked spectacular in his first three fights, all knockout wins. Benavidez meets Scott Paul in a four-round bout.

First bell for the card, which will be televised on Fox Sports Espanol (Cable 140), is at 5:15 p.m.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.

Source: lvrj.com