Tiger seeks Inoue in Brawl rematch
By Seabrook Mow
Special to the Advertiser
There's a Tiger stalking Egan Inoue.
When: Saturday Where: Blaisdell Arena, first bout starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: All reserved seating: $25 advance; $29 day of the show; $50 VIP seating. Tickets available at the Blaisdell Box Office, all Ticket Plus Outlets or charge by phone 526-4400. The card: Gabe Lemley vs. David Yeung; Melchor Manabusen vs. Jay R. Palmer; "Iwi" Kohanu vs. Lincoln Tyler; Rick Graveson vs. Paul Ano; Kim Morishita vs. Gary Frietas; Ben Earwood vs. John Crisostomo; Dennis Reed vs. Niko Vitale; Dave Strasser vs. Ronald Jhun; Wesley Coreirra vs. Marcelo Tiger; Egan Inoue vs. Brett Al-Azzawi.
Inoue is not too worried about it . . . for now.
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Super Brawl: The Road to the Rematch
Marcelo Tiger has been seeking a rematch ever since Inoue beat him on a disqualification in Super Brawl 12 two years ago.
Inoue says he will grant Tiger's request — under one condition.
"I'll definitely give Tiger a rematch, if he beats one of my students first," Inoue said.
Tiger has taken the bait. "I fight everybody, I fight for life," he says.
And so Tiger will meet Inoue's student Wesley Coreirra in Super Brawl 21 Saturday night at Blaisdell Arena. Preliminary bouts start at 7:30 p.m.
Inoue will also appear on the card — fighting Brett Al-Azzawi of Kalamazoo, Mich. — in a supposed tuneup for his rematch with Tiger, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 15.
Coreirra warns that Tiger "shouldn't look past me. I'm no pushover. I'm like a caged dog ready to fight. I'm just going to destroy."
Promoter T. Jay Thompson believes Coreirra has the power to pull off a quick upset.
"Coreirra comes out flying for the first two minutes, while Tiger's been known to be a slow starter, which already makes for an exciting match," Thompson said.
Tiger says his slow starts are by design.
"To fight is best pleasure, and when I get hit it's like girl kiss you, I feel pleasure," he said.
Then he must have loved fighting Inoue, who came out ultra-aggressive in their match — punishing and staggering Tiger. But when Inoue failed to finish off his foe, fatigue set in and Tiger seized the moment. He began attacking Inoue, turning the momentum his way.
However, Tiger's aggressiveness would prove his downfall when he kicked Inoue in the head while Inoue was on the ground — a violation of Super Brawl rules.
The disqualification still haunts Tiger.
"There's no doubt I won the fight," he said. "Those who saw the fight know who won."
Inoue countered, "If that's how he views it . . . some people are heroes in their own mind."
