BOXING
[PHOTO - PINOY WORLD
CHAMPIONS]
MANILA, DECEMBER
29, 2011 (STAR) By Joaquin Henson - The year 2011 comes to a
close with five Filipino fighters recognized as world champions, a watermark in
the history of Philippine boxing. In all, there were 13 world title bouts that
featured Filipino boxers with WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, WBC/WBO
bantamweight ruler Nonito Donaire, WBO flyweight king Brian Viloria and WBO
female superbantamweight queen Ana Julaton accounting for two wins apiece. WBO
lightflyweight champion Donnie Nietes chalked up a win, too. The overall tally
showed nine wins and four losses.
Pacquiao, Donaire, Viloria, Julaton and Nietes are the country's reigning
world titleholders. Five Filipinos, meanwhile, rule as Orient and Pacific Boxing
Federation (OPBF) champions – minimumweight Merlito Sabillo, flyweight Rocky
Fuentes, bantamweight Rolly Lunas, superfeatherweight Ronald Pontillas and
lightwelterweight Romeo Jakosalem.
Losing in bids for a world crown during the year were Arden Diale, Johnriel
Casimero, Rommel Asenjo and Edrin Dapudong. Diale was stopped by WBO flyweight
champion Julio Cesar Miranda of Mexico in the fourth round in Queretaro last
February. Casimero was stopped in the fifth round by IBF flyweight champion
Moruti Mthalane of South Africa in Johannesburg last March. Asenjo was halted by
Mexico's Raul Garcia in a WBO minimumweight title fight in Mexico City last
April. Dapudong was knocked out by WBA flyweight king Hernan (Tyson) Marquez of
Mexico in Sonora last July.
There were two Filipinos who lost in interim WBA championship fights. Last
February, Renan Trongco was stopped by Mexico's Sammy Gutierrez at 2:19 of the
sixth round in an interim WBA minimumweight title bout in Buenos Aires.
Gutierrez was decked in the first round and deducted a point in the sixth before
disposing of the Filipino. Trongco, 22, has bounced back to score two straight
knockouts in raising his record to 10-3, with 7 KOs. Last May, previously
unbeaten Drian Francisco got up from a knockdown to lose a unanimous 12-round
decision to Thailand's Tepparith Kokietgym in an interim WBA superflyweight
title match in Petchaburi. Early this month, Tepparith outpointed Japan's Daiki
Kameda to capture the WBA crown in Osaka.
Pacquiao, 33, showed the way with two successful defenses of his WBO
147-pound title, repulsing Sugar Shane Mosley last May and Juan Manuel Marquez
last November, both on points. For the twin wins, Pacquiao earned a total
paycheck of $42 Million, making him the world's highest-earning athlete this
year.
Donaire, 29, demolished Mexico's Fernando Montiel in two rounds in Las Vegas
last February and shut out previously undefeated Omar Narvaez of Argentina in
New York City last October. The Filipino Flash has since surrendered his
bantamweight crowns and will battle Puerto Rico's Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. for the
WBO superbantamweight title in San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 4. Donaire has not
tasted defeat in 10 years and is undefeated in his last 26 assignments. His
record is 27-1, with 18 KOs. Donaire's one-punch disposal of Montiel has been
cited by Sports Illustrated as the Knockout of the Year.
Viloria, 31, wrested the WBO flyweight crown from Miranda in Honolulu last
July and halted highly touted Giovani Segura of Mexico in the eighth round at
the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig two weeks ago. The Hawaiian Punch previously
held the WBC and IBF lightflyweight titles. Since losing the IBF belt to Carlos
Tamara last year, Viloria has won four in a row to improve his record to 30-3,
with 17 KOs. Viloria's win over Segura, ranked No. 9 in the world
pound-for-pound honor roll, installed him as an elite high-echelon fighter. The
right side of Segura's face was grotesquely disfigured when referee Samuel
Viruet stepped in to halt the carnage. Segura was confined four days at The
Medical City before doctors cleared his release.
Julaton, 31, turned back rugged Franchesca Alcanter via a 10-round decision
in a WBO female superbantamweight championship fight in Port Richmond,
California, last February. She defeated Angel Gladney in a non-title bout in
Miami last June then beat Mexico's Jessica Villafranca on points to retain her
WBO diadem in Yucatan last September. Julaton's superiority over Villafranca was
affirmed by the judges' scorecards as Alejandro Lopez Cid saw it 98-91, Victor
Salomon 96-93 and Levi Martinez 97-92. Julaton's record is 10-2-1, with 1 KO.
Nietes, 29, relinquished his WBO minimumweight title to invade the 108-pound
ranks and promptly, dethroned Mexico's Ramon Garcia by a unanimous 12-round
decision for the lightflyweight crown in Bacolod City last October. The judges
had no difficulty choosing the winner as Carlos Ortiz Jr. had it 117-111, Lisa
Giampa 118-110 and Danrex Tapdasan 115-113, all for the Filipino known as
"Ahas." Nietes hasn't lost since 2004 and is unbeaten in his last 20 outings.
His record is 29-1-3, with 16 KOs.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2009 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
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