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This website is dedicated to boxing- crazy Filipinos who want to keep abreast to the latest boxing news from our motherland, the PHILIPPINES. This is a compilation from the Philippine daily newspapers . I hope it serves your boxing appetite. Mabuhay ang pinoy! P.S. I welcome pinoy boxing tape collectors to trade with me or i'll pay top dollars to new fights. just e-mail me - boholano@webtv.net or j_g_naldoza@msn.com SALAMAT!

FUENTES SETTLES IN A DRAW WIT MANGAN 1-17-05 By Salven L. Lagumbay: In a highly-exciting match-up, ALA Boy Rocky Fuentes figured in a split decision draw with Lilo-an's Greg "Bonso" Mangan after eight non-stop rounds at the Gaisano Countrymall car park on Sunday night. The two young fighters displayed guts and skill all throughout the fight, giving spectators a glimpse of the future of Cebu boxing. Fuentes showed boxing skills, while Mangan displayed fine aggressiveness in a see-saw battle before ending up in a 78-74 (Fuentes), 80-76 (Mangan) and 76-76 split draw. In the chief support, SGG's Fabio Marfa displayed his old ferocity as he knocked down Jhay Herla with a left hand in the third round before halting the latter at the 1:08 of the sixth round in yet another highly-exciting bust up. Referee Steve Blanco halted the fight following another near-knockdown suffered by Herla, as Marfa was all over him again to finish him off. Meanwhile, Danny Boy Bontilao cruised to an easy unanimous decision win over veteran Rico Genon to remain unbeaten in 7 fights. Scores were 79-73 (twice) and 80-73. Also victorious was Ruther Del Castillo, who stopped Rex Madrid for a fine TKO at the 2:54 of the fifth round. Del Castillo was leading in two judges' scorecards before the win. Debuting Arnel Tadena made an auspicious start as he prevailed over Sonny Saguing in the 6-round curtain-raiser.

PENALOSA WINS WBF CROWN 11-28-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay at Ringside: Gerry Penalosa displayed his old form, used his vaunted right jab and then unleashed a left straight to flatten Thai Bangsaen Sithpraprom in the seventh round of a scheduled 12-rounder to win the vacant World Boxing Foundation superfly crown Saturday night (11/27/04) at the Casino Filipino amphitheater in Parañaque. New Zealand's Bruce McTavish, the third man on the ring, did not bother to toll the count as Bangsaen fell unconscious following the fatal blow to the chin at the 1:45 mark of the 7th frame. "I'm very happy for this win. I wanted to show I still have the reflexes and movements and my power is still intact. I'm proven right tonight," Peñalosa said in a post-fight interview at ringside. WBF president Mick Croucher and Strike Revilla awarded the championship belt to Peñalosa. The win improved Peñalosa's record to 48-5-2, with 33 KO's, while Sithpraprom suffered his first loss in 15 fights. The victory also means a possible US fight for Peñalosa, where promoter Gabriel "Bebot" Elorde Jr plans to bring him under the banner of Don King. In the chief support, WBF International welter boss Rey Pelonia had a tougher time against former World Amateurs campaigner Jakrit Thaweekonggym, but gutted it out to stop the latter 16 seconds gone in the penultimate round of their scheduled 12-rounder. Sukarno Banjao, the WBF International flyweight titlist, had the hardest fight as he was tested to the limit by Wisanu Pornobnom before finding the lethal punch that stopped the Thai at the 2:50 of the 9th stanza. Banjao earlier sent Wisanu down in the 7th round, and finished off his foe with a right two rounds later. Also, Kid Orais proved too much for Elderd Romero as he won the vacant WBF International bantam laurels with a 6th-round technical decision following a clash of heads that drew crimson from both protagonists. In other bouts, world-ranked Juanito Rubillar stopped Yodsuk Windeesports in the opening frame, while Rexon Flores halted Samart TwinGym in the third. Mike Farenas TKO'd Ferdie Sagado; Rene Meval upset Robert Lerio by split decision; while Pit Anacaya decisioned Marlo Villamor.

BTAWANG KO'S SOUTH AFRICAN By Salven L. Lagumbay: Filipino southpaw Bert Batawang of Cebu's SGG Stable proved he still has much left in his tank as he annihilated world-ranked South African Sithembele Kibiti in the seventh-round of their scheduled 12-rounder for the World Boxing Association Pan African Junior Flyweight championship in Cape Town, South Africa Saturday night. The 30-year-old Batawang proved too strong as he put down Kibiti for good at the 1:58 mark of the seventh frame, unleashing a straight and uppercut combo to the body capped by a right hook that sent the local boy to la-la land. The win, which snapped Kibiti's 8-bout winning streak, was a ray of light for Batawang, as he hopes to barge into the top ten of the three major sanctioning bodies WBC, WBA and WBO where Kibiti is highly-ranked. The South African Kibiti is rated no. 5 minimum weight by the WBA and no. 6 by the WBC, while the Puerto Rican-based WBO has him at no. 8 in the junior flyweight ranks. "He may defend his title here in South Africa or unify with the PABA champ," said Batawang's manager Sammy Gello-ani in an interview from South Africa. The win upped Batawang's record to 31-11-3, with 24 KOs and saw him winning his second crown after ruling as the Philippines' light-flyweight king.

VERANO WINS IN THAILAND,ARLOS CARVES OUT A DRAW! 11-16-04.Former WBC 105lb king, current WBC #5 Wandee Singwancha (42-7-1, 10 KOs) barely kept his WBC International lightfly title as he drew with former IBF title challenger Jun Arlos (30-15-4, 13 KOs) on Tuesday at Sukhothai Thammathirat University's Ground in Nonthaburi, Thailand. Scoring: Nopparat Sricharoen (Thailand) 115-113 for Wandee, Warren Jaro (Phillipines) 117-113 for Arlos and Jae-wong Kim (Korea) 114-114. The bout was a close affair in the first six rounds with the Thai fighter counterpunching to deny his foe's aggression. Wandee dominated in rounds seven to nine with his vicious body attack to weaken the Filipino but Arlos came back in the last three rounds, landing many punches to the champion's face, especially in round eleven. Fightnews scored 114-114 for this bout. In other action, ABCO #9 light Sataporn Singwancha (9-2, 7 KOs) deatroyed Irani Amin Useng with three vicious right hooks at 1:18 of the opening round. Also, RP#1 superbantam Jake Verano outpointed RDN#2 Jongcharoen Carryboy in a six round non-title bout.

ESCANER LOSES IN THAIAND! 11/18/04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: Philippine super-bantamweight champ Alex Escaner failed in his bid to annex the WBO Asia Pacific featherweight crown after he suffered a fourth-round technical knockout loss at the hands of Thai champ Terdsak Jandaeng in Bangkok, Thailand. Jandaeng, the undefeated champ from the Kokiet Panachiyarom group, unleashed a superb left hook to Escaner's jaw, dropping the latter to his knees. Escaner, on wobbly legs, failed to beat the count. Escaner failed to find his rhythm in the fight, as Jandaeng stalked him from the opening round with solid body shots and combinations. "May lakas talaga. At malaki, kahit sa braso lang ako tinamaan, ang lakas," said Escaner in an interview. In the chief support, RP bantam champ Joel Bauya scored a second-round knockdown against WBO king Ratanachai Sor Vorapin, but failed to capitalize as he lost to the Thai hero in their six-round match. Vorapin, stung by the punch that knocked him down, proved too classy and slick for the RP champ Bauya, who seemed to be fighting in slow motion with no power.

BOBBY PACQUIAO WIN IN US DEBUT! 11/12/04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: Philippine super-featherweight king Bobby Pacquiao made a successful debut on US soil Friday night (Nov 12), easily defeating Mexican Oscar Villa via unanimous decision in their 8-round bout top-billing the dinner-boxing held at the Quiet Cannon Montebello Country Club in Montebello. Pacquiao won on all three judges' scorecards, revealed trainer Buboy Fernandez, who did the corner work with trainer Freddie Roach, in an interview with this writer. "Hindi na binasa yung scores, kasi panalo talaga si Bobby," (The scores weren't read by the announcer because Bobby really won) informed Fernandez. The win over the Orange, California-based Mexican paved the way for Bobby Pacquiao's much-anticipated titular defense against explosive Cebuano phenom Dexter "Dinamita" Delada on December 11, underneath his brother Manny's 12-round bout against Thailand's Fahsang 3K Battery. Pacquiao, who has been training for two months at Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym, was visibly the superior fighter and was reportedly crediting his new-found skills to Roach. Both Pacquiao and Fernandez are slated to be back in the country early next week, and will then knuckle down to work at the gym for the December 11 bout with Delada.

ABAPO LOSSES AGAIN! 11-12-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: RP no. 1 lightweight Bart Abapo absorbed a career-threatening loss Friday night (Nov 12), bowing to Australia-based Ethiopian John Shiffiraw at the Knoxnet Ball Center, Ferntree Gully, Mebourne, Australia. Abapo, suffering from fever he contracted upon arrival in Australia, could not maintain his first-round momentum and lacked aggressiveness in the final rounds to lose via 56-58, 56-58, and 58-58. "The fight had very few action," informed sportsman Tony Aldeguer, who accompanied the boxer together with WBO Asia Pacific bantam king Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista. The group will be back tonight on board a Cathay Pacific flight via Hongkong. "Abapo started the fight well and won the opening round. Unfortunately for Abapo he came under sustained pressure from his opponent who took the second, third and fourth rounds. Abapo, with his back to the wall, fought back with a courageous effort to win the fifth round. The effort of the fifth round took its toll on Abapo and he was unable to sustain his comeback in the final round. Shiffiraw did enough to blunt the Abapo attack and then mounted a late surge of his own at the end of the round to win it and subsequently the bout," reports one-time Cebu resident Graeme Mackinnon, who is now permanently based in Australia.

BAUTISTA KO'S INDON IN 1ST ROUND! 10-25-04 By Salven L. Lagumbay, Tagbilaran City: Undefeated World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific bantamweight king Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista did not work a sweat as he easily took away Indon banger Christian Kasino in less than one round of their scheduled 10-rounder at a jampacked Bohol Wisdom School gym here. The 18-year-old Bautista, egged on by some 8,000 fans who trooped to watch his first local appearance since turning pro, started well after the opening bell, working behind a crisp left jab that peppered Kasino's face red. Late into the round, Bautista connected with a left uppercut to the body, sending Kasino down on all fours writhing in pain, prompting referee Tony Pesons to waive off the fight. Medics immediately jumped into the ring apron to assist Kasino, who momentarily fell unconscious in his corner. The win improved Bautista's unblemished record to 12 wins with 9 KO's. In the chief support, ALA Boy Caesar Amonsot dismantled Indon Leed Sabu, connecting several combinations to the face to finally halt the visitor at the 2:36 of the sixth round. Referee Baden Ribaya deducted a point off Sabu in the third due to an accidental headbutt. In the night's most-applauded fight, Japanese Noriharu Iwatani made a handful of his compatriots proud as he unleashed several combinations to the face of Billy Vullecer, then capped it with a right straight to knock down the local boy in the third round. Also impressive was Korean Park Cheon Su, a talented lanky fighter with power in both fists, as he sent down Markyll Taroja twice in the opening round for a fine stoppage. Other results saw Along Denoy winning by KO in the second round over Emer Barrientos; Melvin Ayudtud by first-round knockout over Johnny Lear; Danny Boy Bontilao by unanimous decision over Rico Genon; Robert Allanic by majority decision over Isidro Balabat; and Jerry Manganip by unanimous decision over Noy Agcopra.

SUICO KO'S AROBY! 10-23-04 By Salven Lagumbay at Ringside in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu: You can run, but you can't hide. Reigning Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation super-featherweight king and World Boxing Council no. 2 Randy "Komong Bato" Suico solidified his reputation as the country's hardest-punching fighter as he stopped Indon challenger Ibrahim Aroby with a single right straight to the jaw at the 1:04 mark of the eighth round of their scheduled 12-rounder here. Aroby fell like a fallen log at the impact of the shot, prompting Japanese referee Kazumasa Kuwata to stop the bout. Suico started strong in the get-go, knocking down Aroby with a left-right combination to the face near the end of the second round. Aroby, who came into the fight thinking he was Nicaraguan star Ricardo Mayorga, barely survived this round. In the third, Aroby got tagged again and went down on his knees, but the referee did not toll the count. The crowd would cheer every time Suico pins Aroby to the ropes. Aroby regained his composure in the fourth, using powder-puff punches to frustrate the local hero. A right by Aroby near the end of the round found its mark on Suico's chin. Through rounds fifth to seventh, Suico continued stalking Aroby, as the Mandaue-raised fighter was desperately looking for the knockout he had promised fight fans. Aroby would charge back with his light-punching, but Suico's left jab effective kept him at bay. Suico, who improved to 22-1, 19 KO's, was comfortably leading in all three judges' scorecards before the win. Scoring referee Kazumasa Kuwata saw it 70-68, Teddy Alivio of the Philippines had it 68-64, while Indonesia's Machmud Junus penned it 67-65. In the undercard, Dexter Delada of Wakee Salud Stable arranges a December 4 showdown with RP super-featherweight champ Bobby Pacquiao after he knocked out Al Deliguer in the fifth round of a highly-entertaining fight. The upset axe fell on ex-PABA flyweight champ Rolly Lunas as he succumbed to a majority decision loss at the hands of RP no. 1 superbantam Jake Verano. Also, Gilbert De la Torre prevailed on a split decision over Ricardo Albia; Ayon Naranjo decisioned Roland Econas; JR Sollano stopped Muhammad Nazib in the first round; Gabriel Pumar bombed out Wine Bartiquel in the fourth; while Alex Aroy halted Rex Madrid in the second.

BARCELONA TO VIE FOR IBO TITLE! 10-18-04. By Salven L. LagumbaySalven L. Lagumbay: Reigning Philippine super-flyweight champ Eric Barcelona is slated to challenge for a world title when he faces International Boxing Organization bantamweight champ Silence Mabuza on November 20 in London, England. This was revealed by Barcelona's manager Leonil Lazarito, who added that everything has been set already by Gabriel "Bebot" Elorde, Jr, who is coordinating details of the fight. The 23-year-old southpaw Barcelona, who won the RP crown with a 6th-round KO of Sherwin Paro last year, parades a 26-5-4, 9 KO's record. In his last fight, he lost on a highly-disputed unanimous decision to Komrith Eveready-Gym in Thailand. The 28-year-old South African Mabuza, nicknamed "The Real Deal," is undefeated in 16 fights with 15 KO's. He won the IBO crown with a sensational sixth-round technical knockout win over Jose Sanjuanelo in 2002, and has since defended the title four times.

PENALOSA TO FIGHT THAI CHAMP! 10-18-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: To give fans world-class entertainment, promoter Gabriel "Bebot" Elorde Jr. has tapped an undefeated Thai champ to battle it out with former world champion Gerry Penalosa as the latter figures in yet another title crack on November 20 for the vacant World Boxing Foundation super-flyweight crown. Elorde, in an interview yesteday, revealed that Peñalosa will go up against Thai Bangsaen Sithpraprom, an undefeated Thai who is a champion of Thailand's Rachadamnern boxing ratings. Elorde indicated he was forced to tap a dangerous foe for Peñalosa in order to avoid a repeat of what happened in the latter's comeback fight in Cebu. "Bangsaen has 14 fights with 14 wins and 7 of that by knockout," informed Elorde. The 20-year-old Thai, who stands 5 feet and 4 inches tall, is a veteran of around 100 Muay Thai fights, and should not be taken lightly. The November 20 title tiff between Peñalosa and Bangsaen, slated to be held either at the Elorde Sports Center or Casino Filipino Amphitheater, will be held for the benefit of St. Rita Orphanage. Peñalosa's comeback fight, which was held on September 19 in Cebu, ended controversially when opponent Samingkao Chutipol went down for the third time even without absorbing a blow, resulting in a second-round technical knockout win for the Pinoy ex-champ. Peñalosa holds a remarkable 47-5-2, 32 KO's record going into his ninth world title bout. An investigation conducted by commissioner-lawyer Emmanuel Palabrica of the Games and Amusements Board later resulted in the suspension of Chutipol as well as the two matchmakers who worked the card. The promoter was reprimanded.

SUICO VS. AROBY UNDERCARD SET! 10-18-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: Philippine no. 2 super-featherweight Dexter Delada leads an explosive line-up of fighters who will see action in this Saturday's "Unfinished Business" card in Lapu-Lapu City. The Camiguin-born Delada, who is set to challenge RP champ Bobby Pacquiao on December 4, tangles with veteran journeyman Al Deligeur in a 10-round clash which will support the Randy Suico-Ibrahim Aroby OPBF title duke-out. Delada is coming off a decision win over Julius Tarona last June 27, following his shock defeat at the hands of a bigger Nonoy Gonzales last April. The main event will feature OPBF super-featherweight champ Randy "Komong Bato" Suico (WBC no. 2) making the third defense of his regional crown against Aroby, who is ranked OPBF no. 4 with a record of 18 wins, 1 loss, 2 draw with 9 KO's. This will be Suico's first fight since his controversial defeat at the hands of South African Mzonke Fana last May, who escaped with a split decision win despite two trips to the canvas and being almost out on his feet in the last round. Also seeing action is former Pan-Asia Boxing Association flyweight champ Rolly Lunas, who is now based in Cebu, as he takes on RP no. 1 superbantam Jake Verano in another tenner. The other matches slated for this Saturday's mammoth event pit Gilbert De la Torre against RP no. 9 minifly Ricardo Albia; Roland Econas versus Aya Naranjo; JR Sollano versus Jun Aguilan; Gabriel Pumar against Wine Bartiquil; and Alex Aroy versus Rex Madrid.

JACA WINS COMEBACK FIGHT IN JAPAN 10-17-04. Ex-OPBF ruler Jimrex Jaca (22-1, 9 KOs), 124.5, made Japanese Isamu Sakashita (18-6, 16 KOs), 125.5, a bloody mess to be awarded a technical nod (49-48, 48-47 and 48-48) at 1:56 of the fifth round in a scheduled ten.

GABI WINS VS. THAI IN NORTH COTABATO! 10-11-04.By Salven L. Lagumbay: World Boxing Council No By Salven L. Lagumbay: World Boxing Council No. 8 flyweight Diosdado "Prince" Gabi won a lop-sided unanimous decision Sunday evening over Thai Sairung Pathavikorn-Gym in their 10-round duel in Antipas, North Cotabato topbilling the "Vendetta" card Gabi pressed the attack all night, unleashing wicked body shots on the Thai before prevailing on a 99-91, 100-90, 99-91 win to the delight of a packed crowd led by mayor Cris Cadungon at the town's municipal gym. The win improved the southpaw Gabi's record to 23-2-1, 17 KO's and gives him a chance to move higher in the WBC rungs and earn a slot in the World Boxing Organization rankings. WBO Vice-President for Asia Pacific Leon Panoncillo, in an interview, informed that he will recommend Gabi for a top 10 slot in the organization and a possible bout with WBO flyweight champ Omar Narvaez of Argentina. "I will recommend him to the WBO ratings committee. He should be fighting for the WBO title down the line," Panoncillo said yesterday. Meanwhile, Gabi's manager Socrates Piñol expressed satisfaction over his ward's performance, but also credited the Thai's durability and experience in surviving what could have been a knockout defeat at the hands of Gabi. "The Thai was also tough and very dangerous. There was a power blackout in the middle of the fight, and that gave the Thai time to recuperate. Gabi could have knocked him out," Pinol stated, while also announcing that Gabi's wife had given birth to a healthy baby boy the morning after the fight. North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Piñol, in a separate interview, also stated that Gabi's next outing would most likely be in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Gairy St. Claire duel on December 4 in Taguig.

MANGUBAT LOSES ANEW TO WONGJONGKAM 10-10-04.By Salven L. Lagumbay: Filipino Randy Mangubat might just as well forget his stubborn campaign as he suffered yet another unanimous decision loss at the hands of World Boxing Council flyweight king Pongsaklek Wongjongkam on Friday nigh (Oct 8) in their non-title fight held at the Boxing Stadium de Patong in Thailand. The bout, which was held as part of the 42nd WBC Annual Convention, saw Mangubat losing to Pongsaklek for the fourth time in as many meetings. The Filipino had previously lost to the Thai hero in 1996, 1999, and 2003. Mangubat had replaced original opponent Diosdado "Prince" Gabi, who was scratched by promoter Virat Vachiraratanawongse for unknown reasons. Wongjongkam (53-2, 29 KO's), who is touted by many boxing experts as probably the most talented world champion in Thailand today, is scheduled to make a voluntary defense against no. 10 ranked Noriyuki Komatsu of Japan. Should he come out victorious, he will then defend against the winner of an eliminator bout between no. 1 ranked Luis Maldonado of Mexico and no. 2 ranked Brian Viloria of the United States. Mangubat's record dipped to 31 wins, 21 losses, 12 draws with 14 knockouts.

LAURENTE CALLS OUT CASTILLO! 10-7-04.By Salven L. Lagumbay: World Boxing Council no. 7 lightweight and Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation champ Dennis Laurente has made known his interest to fight WBC lightweight champ Jose Luis Castillo following his successful defense in Japan last Sunday. Laurente (21-1-4, 11 KO's), who was bestowed the no. 7 slot in the WBC during the organization's convention in Phuket, prevailed on a majority decision last Sunday in Tokyo over Chikashi Inada. Japanese judge Nobuaki Uratani saw it 115-114 and Filipino Ramon Flores had it 119-109 both for Laurente, while scoring referee David Chung of Korea penned it 115-115. It was the 27-year-old southpaw's third defense of the OPBF crown he won with a unanimous decision win over another Japanese Yosuke Otsuka in 2001. Prior to Sunday's win, Laurente had also registered a win over Indon Ferdinand and drew with compatriot Fernando Montilla to retain his crown. "Dennis hopes to fight WBC champ Jose Luis Castillo next," said an elated Liza Elorde, whose husband Johnny manages Laurente. The veteran Castillo (50-6-1, 45 KO's) regained the WBC crown he previously lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr, prevailing on a unanimous decision win over Juan Lazcano last June. Castillo and Lazcano vied for the title when Mayweather decided to vacate it to campaign in the bigger super-lightweight category. Laurente, however, will need to take another fight in the immediate future as Castillo is already slated to face WBO champ Diego Corrales in a unification war on December 4 in Las Vegas. October 7, 2004

JIMENEA SAVED THE DAY FOR PINOYS IN THAILAND BY KO WIN! October 05, 2004 - Yesterday afternoon at Tempolary Boxing Stadium at Baanrai School, Nakornratchasrima Province, Thailand, Kokiet Group Co. Ltd. arranged a WBO Asia-Pacific Featherweight championship bout between Thai champ, Thoedsak SeeSupertech Gym (Jandaeng) and his Filipino chalenger, Samuel Duran, who is the former Pilippines Bantamweight and Featherweight, WBC International Bantamweight, and OPBF Featherweight kingpin. The hard-hitting Thai champion used his aggressive style from the beginning bell, but Duran landed an effective right hand to protect himself. Younger than Duran, Thoedsak had more power so he looked much stronger. In round 4, Thoedsak landed a hard left hook to Duran's chin and dropped him to the canvas for the 8-count. The Thailander had a good left-hook body shot followed by a left hand to Duran's jaw that sent him down to the canvas for the 10-count...game over. Thoedsak had sucessfully defended his regional belt for the sixth time. Now he is the WBO No. 7 ranked featherweight. On the undercard fights, the Phlippines' Dondon Jimenea KOed Samransak Sigmanassak in their 3rd meeting. The 1st encounter ended in 8 round draw while the second fight Jimenea won by TKO in the 3rd stanza.. Netr Sasiprapha Gym scored KO5 over the former IBO Minimumweight title chalenger Abrin Matta from the Indonesia. Tuangpetch Saeng Morakot WPT6 over Gerald Ubatay from the Philippines.

LAURENTE KEEPS OPBF LIGHTWT BELT October 2, 2004 WBC #12 ranked Filipino lefty Dennis Laurente (21-2-4, 11 KOs), 133.25, barely kept his OPBF lightweight belt by a majority decision over an elongated OPBF #9 ranked Japanese Chikashi Inada (15-2, 11 KOs), 134.5, over twelve close rounds on Saturday (10/2/04) in Tokyo, Japan. Scored: Nobuaki Uratani (Japan) 115-114 and Ramon Flores (Philippines) 119-109, both for Laurente, and scoring referee David Chung (Korea) 115-115. Inada, a stylish jabber, was in command in the first four rounds, but Laurente turned loose by changing his counterpunching strategy to constant aggression to dominate the fifth through tenth rounds. Inada, in the eleventh, unleashed good shots to the fading champ to take a point, but the Filipino showed his heart to win the final session.

PINOYS WIN WBF TITLES 9-26-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: Pinoy boxers proved they are ready to embrace the World Boxing Foundation here as they won their matches in Saturday (9/25/04) night's "WBF Showdown" at the Flash Elorde Ballroom to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of the late Papa Sarreal, the acknowledged Grand Old Man of Philippine boxing. The event, graced no less by WBF president Mick Croucher of Australia, members of the Elorde and Sarreal family, as well as ex-WBC champ Gerry Peñalosa, turned out to be an explosive one. Negros-born Sukarno Banjao showed his power as he sent down Indon Yongki Afrizal twice on the canvas, prompting American referee Gene Del Bianco to halt the fight at the 2:08 mark of the sixth round. Afrizal first went down in the second round following a left hook by Banjao, but managed to pile up points thereafter to keep the fight exciting. However, a right straight in the sixth found its mark, sending the Pino Bahari-trained boxer sprawled on the canvas once again. He did not beat the count. In another WBF bout, Rey Pelonia crowned himself the new welterweight titlist with a stirring second round demolition of Indon Ferri Wirawan. The end came at the 53-second mark of the round following a right straight that sent Wirawan on all fours for the count. Mark Sales of the Polding Correa Stable also took care of business with a hairline majority decision over Celso Danggod after their fight was halted in the fifth following a cut suffered by Sales due to an unintentional headbutt. Also holding sway was Benjie Sorolla of Marty Elorde Stable who took the WBF minimumweight crown with a 7th-round knockout win over Rey Orais. The shorter Sorolla kept battering the wiry Orais' midsection, finally halting the latter at the 53-second mark of the seventh. In the curtain-raiser, Rey Labao TKO'd Leonard Dagdagen in the first round, while Marlo Villamor TKO'd Domingo Paraiso in the second stanza.

MAYOL KO'S ANOTHER INDON FIGHTER 9-22-04 By Salven L. Lagumbay: Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation minimumweight kingpin Rodel Mayol served notice to all world title holders yesterday (9/21/04), by easily demolishing OPBF No. 3 La Syukur at the 1:47 mark of the third round of their scheduled 10-rounder in Jakarta, Indonesia. A right hook by Mayol, 19-0-(15) ended matters for La Syukur, who was clearly no match for the Mandaue City fighter's power and ring savvy. It was Mayol's fourth victory this year, and his third in Indonesia. Prior to La Syukur, Mayol had also stopped Indonesia's top fighters La Ode Basez and Iwan Key. Prior to his Indonesian stints, Mayol had won the OPBF crown with a first-round technical knockout victory over then champion Genki Ohnaka in Japan. In his first OPBF last May 21, Mayol prevailed over ex-WBC Interbatiobal champ Ernesto Rubillar on a seventh round technical decision. The former five-time national amateur champ Mayol will fly back to the country today, where he will immediately resume training for a planned OPBF title defense sometime next month in Manila, although his handlers are keeping their options open for the talented knockout artist. The undefeated Mayol is ranked WBC no. 2, WBA no. 6, IBF no. 6 and WBO no. 8.

PENALOSA WINS COMEBACK FIGHT! 9-21-04.By Salven L. Lagumbay in Mandaue City: Former World Boxing Council super-flyweight king Gerry Penalosa can still dish out almost anything inside the ring--including faking a shot--as he easily dismantled no-hoper Samingkao Chutipol from Thailand in less than two rounds of their scheduled 10-rounder here Sunday evening on the "Out for Blood" card. Penalosa, who spent almost 10 months in preparation for this comeback fight, was all business from the opening bell, chasing the bewildered and clearly intimidated Thai fighter with solid body shots that had the visitor on his bicycle. In the second frame, Penalosa unloaded bombs to the body, sending the Thai on all fours twice on the canvas as referee Teddy Alivio took up the count. Penalosa, sensing a frightened man put in front of him, then faked a shot to the body again, this time sending the Thai once more to the canvas even without actually absorbing a blow. The crowd booed. The 32-year-old former champ, however, made a good account of himself in this very short fight, displaying his usual quickness and power shots, and the apparent hunger was evident once more. "We were surprised it had to end that way. But I was really prepared whatever he could have brought to the table," Peñalosa said at the post-fight interview. The victory, which was his first since his last fight on December 20, 2002, improved the southpaw's win-loss-draw record to 47-5-2, 32 knockouts. In the co-feature, former WBC flyweight boss Malcolm Tunacao figured in a stretched out 10-round affair against Mindanao's Bernard Oclus, prevailing on a sleeper unanimous decision. Tunacao, one of local boxing's most gifted technicians, was gasping for breath early in the fight, opting to land choice shots which carried him through a 100-90, 97-94, 96-94 verdict. "I'm sorry for this so-so performance tonight. I can do better. I only had three weeks to prepare for this fight," revealed Tunacao at ringside. The win improved the southpaw Tunacao's ledger to 16-1-2, 11 knockouts. In the other bouts, Ronnie Canete schooled Eric Rapada by split decision; Richard Garcia prevailed over Aljun Salugaol by split decision; Robert Lerio decisioned Danilo Cabardo; Alex "Bomber" Aroy TKO'd Rogelio Bardon in the third round; while Michael Farinas and Octavio Aleonar figured in a second-round technical draw.

TRIBO LOSES RP TITLE 9-19-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: Experience proved to be the deciding factor as the veteran Alex Escaner of the Marty Elorde Stable dethroned SGG's Reynald Tribo in winning the Philippine superbantam title Friday evening (9/17/04) in San Juan, Manila. Escaner used his all-around skills in befuddling the forward-fighting Tribo, prevailing on scores of 115-113 (twice) and 116-113. The win improved Escaner's record to 19-9-3, 8 KO's, while Tribo slid to 6-2, 4 KO's. In the chief support, ALA Boy Sherwin Paro of Elorde Stable returned to his winning form, stopping Jaime Acerda with a series of combinations to flatten the latter at the 2:39 of the 8th round of their scheduled 10-rounder. Paro sent Acerda down twice to the canvas with a straight right and crisp uppercut, keeping his hopes alive for another titular crack in the future. In the other 10-round bout, Elder Romero of Marty Elorde Stable sent down Roberto Moreno twice with body shots, finally halting the latter 1:50 in the fourth round.

ELORDE DANGLES $100K TO ARCE 9-13-04 By Salven L. Lagumbay: No sooner had he settled down following a gruelling win World Boxing Council junior flyweight boss Jorge Arce of Mexico was besieged with offers following his "controversial" win over Filipino Juanito Rubillar on September 4 in Tijuana, Mexico. Insisting that his ward had been "robbed" of a victory, promoter Gabriel "Bebot" Elorde Jr, who also manages Rubillar, informed that he is willing to pay Arce a whopping $100,000 purse for him to defend his green belt in a planned trilogy with Rubillar on December 8 at the Elorde Sports Center in Parañaque. "I would even request that World Boxing Council president Jose Sulaiman be present during that event as WBC representative," Elorde stressed. Elorde maintains that Rubillar had the better of Arce for most of the rounds during their last fight, indicating that it was his fighter who did more damage and was the aggressor throughout the 12-round affair. Arce had prevailed on two judges' scorecards-- 115-112 and 119-108--while the third judge had Rubillar the victor by a 115-112 tab. Elorde indicated that the score 119-108 in favor of hometown boy Arce, penned by Roy Ovalle, was very controversial. Ovalle is the same controversial boxing judge who, in Round 4 of the match in San Antonio on June 21, 2002 between Carlos Escobedo and Jesus Rodriguez, did not follow an order by referee Ruben Carrion that a point be deducted from the score of Mr. Rodriguez for a foul. Not only did Ovalle not follow the referee's direction correctly but worse, deducted a point from the score of Mr. Escobedo, the wrong boxer. Judge Ovalle's error caused the decision to be a draw when in fact a win should have been awarded to Mr. Escobedo. The result was later overruled by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

GABI PRIMED UP FOR WBC TITLE BID 9-12-04. Kidapawan's Diosdado "Prince" Gabi is now about "90 percent" ready as he prepares for the most crucial few weeks prior to his titular challenge of World Boxing Council flyweight king Pongsaklek Wongjongkam on October 8 in Phuket, Thailand. This was revealed last week by Buboy Fernandez, personal trainer of featherweight king Manny Pacquiao, who has been handling Gabi's training in the last four weeks at the L&M Gym in Manila. "He's in very good shape. He has no problems in his sparring sessions. Gabi is 90 percent in his conditioning now," said Fernandez in an interview with this writer. The southpaw Gabi (21-2-1, 16 KO's), ranked WBC no. 8, figures in the most important fight of his career against Wongjongkam (52-2, 29 KO's), who enjoys cult following in Thailand and holder of the quickest knockout defense in flyweight history when he stopped Japanese Daisuke Naito in just 34 seconds of their April, 2002 bout. Wongjongkam, who will be making the 11th defense of his WBC crown against Gabi, is also known as the Thai fighter who stopped Filipino Malcolm Tu�acao in just a single round in 2001, taking away the latter's WBC flyweight crown. "But we are not worried. Gabi has been training great," Fernandez said, adding that the Kidapawan fighter, who also holds the WBC International flyweight belt, has been sparring against the likes of RP bantam champ Joel Bauya, hard-hitting Franklin Macalibo, and amateur standout Glenn Gonzales. The Wongjongkam-Gabi showdown will be presented by host Thailand when the World Boxing Council unfolds its 42nd annual world convention in Phuket, Thailand from October 3 to 9 this year.

TAMPUS LOSES ANEW IN INDONESIA! 9-10-04. When it rains, it pours. This adage came true for ex-Pan Asia Boxing Association junior fly boss Marvin Tampus as he lost anew in Indonesia last September 7 to unheralded Jito Armando in their 10-round showdown at the BIN Arena in Jakarta. The loss is Tampus' third in a row in Indonesia, virtually putting a lid on his once promising career that once saw him ranked no. 4 by the World Boxing Association and a toast to Cebu boxing. The loss also officially puts Tampus (13-4-1,9ko's) in the "journeyman" status, in far contrast to his being mentioned in the same line with such world-class talents as Rodel Mayol, Z Gorres, Diosdado Gabi among others. The 24-year-old Armando had also beaten Filipino fighters Isidro Lorona and Allan Ra�ada prior to the Tampus fight. Prior to this latest setback, Tampus also absorbed a stinging decision loss to non-descript Angky Angkota last August 17 in a bout also held at the RCTI Studio in Jakarta. Not to mention the schooling he received prior to these two bouts from top Indon prospect Vicky Tahumil, who dethroned Tampus with a neat boxing lesson last April 13 also in Indonesia. As a result, the Games and Amusements Board may now be constrained to ask Tampus to temporarily stop campaigning overseas, until such time that he puts himself in winning form again.

GORRES DECISION'S SUWANASIL 9-5-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay in Mandaue City: Z "The Dream" Gorres made a tough task look routine as he easily decisioned a tough and game Thai Sairung Suwanasil in their 10-round duel here Saturday evening. The 22-year-old Gorres, who was earlier assured by manager Rudy Salud of a Hollywood stint in Freddie Roach's gym should he hurdle past the World Boxing Organization No. 8 Suwanasil, used his ring savvy and a vast arsenal of shots to frustrate the showboating Thai who weathered everything thrown at him. All three judges had Gorres the winner via scores of 100-92, 99-91, 99-91. "He lacks the killer instinct. Sobra ka sigurista. He could have stopped the Thai if he showed more aggressiveness," observed boxing patron Antonio L. Aldeguer, who handles Gorres with Salud. Salud, the former World Boxing Council secretary-general, flew in from Manila just to be at ringside for Gorres' final fight before the US trip. A Hollywood trip with reigning universal featherweight king Manny Pacquiao on September 8 was in the bag, so Gorres was extra-careful not to blow his chance. The win improved Gorres' win-loss-draw record to 18-1-1, with 10 knockouts. In the night's chief support, a relentless Bart Abapo's first jab to the face of opponent Arnick Arabala sent the latter to the canvas, signalling a softie opponent who was easily dismantled at the 37-second mark of the second round after yet another trip to the canvas. In a highly-entertaining fight, unorthodox SGG wonder boy Edmund "El Martillo" Velayo proved too slippery for Ricardo Albia, sending the latter almost out in the seventhround before closing out with a well-deserved 97-93, 99-95, 97-93 win. Also, ALA Boy Rollen Del Castillo redeemed himself from an earlier loss with an easy unanimous decision win over veteran Allan Dugang. Other winners were Ryan Del Prado by unanimous decision over Rico Genon; Robert Allanic of Cliff Smart Stable via an impressive third-round knockout over Jerry Manganip; Alex Aroy by unanimous decision over Ruther Del Castillo; and Fil-Am John Carlos by 2nd round TKO over Glen Masicampo.

TWO FORMER WBC CHAMPIONS TO FIGHT IN MANDAUE 9-5-04. Two former World Boxing Council champs will see action in one card in Cebu as part of their campaign to retrace the path that they once took during their glory days. Ex-WBC superfly champ Gerry Pe�alosa (46-5-2, 31 KO's) and former WBC flyweight boss Malcolm Tu�acao (15-1-2, 11 KO's) will face separate foes in their return appearance on September 19 at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex, marking the first time in a long period that the two will be fighting in front of their hometown crowd. Pe�alosa will be facing Thai Samingkao Chutitol, while Tu�acao squares off with Mindanao's Bernard Oclus in the co-feature. The last time Pe�alosa saw action in Cebu was on June 14, 1997 when he defended his WBC crown for the first time with a 9th-round knockout win over Korean Seung-Koo Lee. If victorious, Pe�alosa is reportedly gunning for the International Boxing Federation superfly crown against Luis Alberto Perez of Nicaragua. The WBC no. 3-ranked Tu�acao, who currently holds the WBC International superfly crown, had his last Cebu appearance on February 8, 2002 when he demolished Thai Pornchai Sithpraprom in seven rounds at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel. Backstopping the two southpaws' return appearance are two young guns from the Stonewall Boxing Club�Eric Rapada and Richard Garcia�who will face Ronnie Ca�ete and Aljun Salugaol, respectively. The card also pits Michael Farinas against Octavio Aleonar (6rds) Roy Fuentes versus Alex Aroy (6 rds); and Robert Lerio against Danilo Cabardo (4 rds).

NIETES KOS ANOTHER INDON FIGHTER 9-5-04. The country's undefeated and top-ranked minifly Donnie Nietes yesterday scored his biggest international win, knocking out former International Boxing Organization minifly campaigner Abrinsett Matta of Indonesia in the fourth round at the RCTI Studio in Jakarta. It was Nietes' biggest win so far and it came on the heels of his most recent outing where he also knocked out Indon Marti Polii in the seventh round last August 3 also in Jakarta. Nietes, who loves to carry a giant python everytime he fights in Cebu, sent down Matta twice in the second round courtesy of well-timed uppercut and right cross, and in the fourth, the ALA-trained fighter again connected with a series of blows to the bewildered Matta and before the latter could hit the canvas, the referee intervened to stop the carnage. The win improved Nietes' record to 11-0-1, with 8 KO's, and moves him into a possible crack at the Pan-Asian Boxing Association minimumweight crown late this year or early 2005.

TRIBO TO DEFEND RP CROWN 9-3-04. Reigning Philippine superbantam champ Reynald Tribo (7-1,3ko's)-a 20 year old prospect of SGG Stable will get a chance to redeem himself as he defends his title against top-ranked Alex Escaner on September 17 in Manila. "The date is final but we will know of the venue within this week," said Marty Elorde, who will promote the fight, in an interview with this writer. This will be Tribo's first defense of the 122-lb title he won with a split decision win over Bukidnon't Jake Verano last April 4 in Mandaue City. Tribo is currently ranked Pan Asian Boxing Association no. 2 and Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation no. 6 superbantam. The Cebu-based fighter, however, needs to make good account of himself especially coming off a decision loss to Japan's Ryuichi Minoriyama in their 10-round bout in Japan last June 27. Escaner hugged the headlines two years ago when he knocked out cold Manuel Zayas in the ninth round of their bout at the Convention Center in Tarlac. Zayas died as a result of the head blows suffered in the fight.

BARCELONA FAILS IN PABA TITLE BID BY CLOSE DECISION 9-2-04. Philippine superflyweight boss Eric Barcelona (26-5-4,9ko's) lost by a close decision to Thailand's Komrith Eveready-Gym for the Pan-Asian Boxing Association superflyweight title last August 31 in Angtong, Thailand. The 23 year old Filipino, Barcelona lost by scores of 115-114,114,113,114,113 to hometown fighter Komrith. Komrith had won the crown last year with a 4th-round KO of Abbey Mnisi but lost it with an upset to Gilberto Gonzales last April 6.

RUBILLAR LOST WBC TITLE BID BY CONTROVERSIAL DECISION Filipino Juanito Rubillar fought the fight of his life but came up short as he lost via split decision to reigning World Boxing Council junior fly king Jorge "Travieso" Arce in their 12-round bout yesterday at the El Toreo de Tijuana in Mexico. A point was taken off Rubillar in the ninth round following an illegal blow behind Arce's head in an otherwise competitive fight before bowing out via score of 119-108, 115-112, and 112-115. The win is Arce's seventh defense of the crown he took away from Korean Yosam Choi in 2002, and his second victory over Rubillar. The duo first duked it out for the interim WBC junior fly title also in Tijuana in 2001, with the Los Mochis native prevailing over the Filipino by unanimous decision. The win improved Arce's win-loss-draw record to 37-3-1, with 27 KO's, while Rubillar dipped to Meanwhile, top-ranked International Boxing Federation junior fly Wyndel Janiola succumbed to a fifth-round technical decision at the hands of second ranked Eric Ortiz in a scheduled 12-rounder. However, even before the two could exchange leathers, it was announced at the official weigh-in the other day by Mexican Boxing Commission top honcho Roman Cruz that the bout has not been sanctioned by the IBF as an official eliminator for the right to challenge IBF champ Victor Burgos of Mexico. Even then, the victory could mean so much for the Mexican as Janiola is perched on top of the IBF rankings and would give him the chance to dislodge the Filipino in next month's rankings. A popular on-line boxing publication in Mexico broke the news that the fight has not been sanctioned by the New Jersey-based body, which was later confirmed by Janiola's manager Josephine Ouano to this writer.

BAUTISTA WINS! 8-18-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay in Mandaue City: Fighting with a lion's heart, 18-year-old Boholano prodigy Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista needed less than two rounds to dismantle Thai champ Saensak Singmanasak to crown himself the new World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific bantamweight king in front of a capacity crowd at the Mandaue Sports and Cultural Complex Tuesday night (August 17). Bautista, egged on by the presence of Bohol leaders led by Vice-Governor Julius Caesar Herrera, dictated the tempo right at the onset, applying pressure on the game Thai warrior and countering well at the get-go. By the second round, the ALA boy Bautista had Singmanasak on dire straits with a series of right straights to the head, sending the visitor glassy-eyed from the onslaught. A countering left uppercut at the 1:43 mark sent down the Thai like a fallen log, prompting referee Teddy Alivio to wave off the fight as medics immediately rushed into the ring apron. It took about 15 minutes before Singmanasak regained full consciousness, according to ringside physicians who attended to the fallen warrior. "He was half-conscious for about 15 minutes, but fortunately, he was able to recover. We will be observing him some more," said physician Jose Unabia. Moments later, Singmanasak was declared out of danger. WBO Asia Pacific co-chairman Leon Panoncillo, who personally supervised the bout, had earlier informed that Bautista would be given a crack at WBO bantam champ Ratanachai Sor Vorapin in the near future. Panoncillo travelled all the way from Hawaii to oversee the event. "I am very thankful to my manager Mr. Antonio L. Aldeguer, my supporters from Bohol and all my fans for coming to watch the fight," said a teary-eyed Bautista, flanked by his parents Alberto and Susana, who sailed to Cebu to witness their son's first crack at a legitimate title. Games and Amusements Board Chairman Eduardo Villanueva, who was at ringside to witness the event, expressed admiration for the Bohol-raised Bautista, predicting bigger things for the young phenom. Bautista, who received the belt donated by Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado, upped his unblemished record to 12 wins with 9 knockouts. AMONSOT WINS, DEL CASTILLO TUMBLES. Another ALA boy, Caesar Amonsot, was stretched to the limit by Mindanao's Arnel Porras before prevailing on a 97-92, 97-93, 96-93 decision win to claim the Philippine Boxing Federation featherweight crown. The win improved Amonsot's perfect record to 7 wins with 6 KO's. Amonsot received his belt courtesy of Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Lim. However, ALA boy Rollen Del Castillo was not as lucky after he was upset by RP no. 3 Carlo Besares via majority decision. The erstwhile unbeaten Del Castillo was outpunched and outhustled by Besares, and couldn't seem to find his range all throughout the fight. OTHER RESULTS. Korean Park Seongwoo came off the canvas to halt Cagayan's Rex Marzan at the 2:10 of the fifth round in a highly-explosive match. Park was on the way to an easy win, but found himself kissing the canvas in the fourth round after a costly lapse. SGG's Reman Salim stretched his unbeaten mark with a unanimous decision verdict over a faded Noel Sungahid; Danny Boy Bontilao prevailed on a majority decision over Rey Martizano; and Korean Park Cheon Su figured in a majority draw with Ruther Del Castillo.

TAMPUS LOSSES AGAIN IN INDONESIA 8-19-04. In what will be a major blow to his career, ex-PABA junior fly champ Marvin Tampus succumbed to a unanimous decision loss Tuesday evening (8/17/04) to Indonesian Angky Angkota in their 10-round tiff in Jakarta, Indonesia. Reportedly, Tampus was deducted two points in the fight for unleashing blows south of the border in an otherwise competitive fight. The loss is Tampus' second defeat in a row since he had lost the PABA crown to Indon prospect Vicky Tahumil last April 13 also in Jakarta. The Stonewall fighter is contracted to campaign in Indonesia until December this year. No name has yet been given as to his next opponent, but as things stand, Tampus may now join a long list of boxers who have gone from being a prospect to becoming a journeyman. Tampus will need no less than impressive showings in his next fights to put himself into the contender mix.

BATAWANG LOST OPBF TITLE BID 8-10-04.Philippine junior flyweight boss Bert Batawang failed in his bid to snatch the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation belt, losing via a split decision to titleholder Shingo Yamaguchi in their 12-round war at the Korakuen Hall last Monday(8/9/04). The WBC no. 8 Yamaguchi, a protege of Katsuo Tokashiki and described by Japan's boxing guru Joe Koizumi as a "tricky and fast yet awkward footworker," reportedly confused and frustrated the hard-punching but slower Batawang en route to a 116-113, 117-113 win. Filipino fight judge Ben Necesario scored the fight for Batawang, 115-113. Yamaguchi reportedly swept the first six rounds using busier combinations, but Batawang retaliated in the seventh. The Japanese then pinned Batawang to the ropes in the eighth and eleventh to seal the victory.

SANTILLAN KEPT OPBF BELT, GALICIA DRAWS 8-8-04. FILIPINO ring giant Rev Santillan kept his Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) welterweight title after scoring a unanimous decision Saturday over No.10 challenger Taisei Marumoto at the Osaka Prefectural Gym in Osaka, Japan. Ringside judges Arnel Pasion of the Philippines scored the bout 118-114; RJ Tyongkor of Thailand saw the fight 118-112 and Japanese Hisatushi Miyazaki counted it 117-11, all for Santillan, who stamped his class anew as the region's best 147-pound fighter. Santillan maintained his aggressiveness throughout the bout as he kept the challenger on his guard, limiting the Japanese to minimal offense. With constant pounding and pressure, the Filipino champion did not allow Marumoto to dance away as Santillan won all except two rounds from Pasion and Tyongkor, while losing only three from the Japanese judge. The victory improved Santillan's slate to 21 wins, one loss and one draw, peppered with 15 knockout victories, while Marumoto dropped to a 15-5-1, 7 KO record. However, the other Filipino fighters who joined Santillan in Osaka were not as lucky. RP mini-flyweight champion and OPBF No.1 contender Elmer Gejon (12-5-1, 5 KOs) lost by majority decision to WBA No.15 Karsunari Takayama (13-1, 6 KOs) after an exhilarating 10-round exchange of punches. The scores were 96-94, 98-93 and 96-96 for Takayama. Controversial draw Romeo Buhawi (9-5-1, 9 KOs) suffered a more humiliating defeat after losing to WBA No.15 Zaiki Takemoto (15-4-2, 10KOs) at the 2:25 mark of the sixth round. The southpaw former Philippine champion Rogelio Galicia plucked a controversial split draw with Japan No.9 super-flyweight Yuki Murai after eight rounds. The WBA ranked No.7 Galicia (23-3-1, 8KOs) dominated the first seven rounds of the fight, keeping the Japanese fighter on the run most of the time before Murai took the last round to his credit. However, it ended up a split draw after the scores were read: 78-75 for Galicia, 78-76 for Murai and a 76-76 draw. Ken Nakajima also scored a majority decision over Rey Orais, 77-76, 77-76, 76-76, after eight rounds.

NIETES WIN IN INDONESIA 8-3-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: The country's No. 1 mini-flyweight Donnie "Ahas" Nietes kept his unblemished mark, stopping Indonesian champion Martin Polii at the 2:15 mark of the seventh round of their scheduled 10-rounder at the RCTI TV Station in Jakarta, Indonesia. Nietes, a protege of Sammy "Don King" Gello-ani, survived a cut in the third round caused by an accidental headbutt, then virtually rained blows on his hapless Indon foe until the latter called it quits. "It was Nietes fight all the way from start to the end when he drove the Indonesian champion from corner to corner with heavy body blows. The Cebu-based Ilonggo however failed to floor the tough Indon but only registered a 7th round TKO win," said Gello-ani, who was at ringside for the bout. The win improved Nietes' record to 10 wins with 6 KO's and lines him up for a possible title crack in the near future.

PACQUIAO RETAINS RP TITLE 7-23-04. PHILIPPINE super featherweight champion Alberto "Bobby" Pacquiao kept his crown by subduing challen PHILIPPINE super featherweight champion Alberto "Bobby" Pacquiao kept his crown by subduing challenger Baby Lorona, Jr. via a 12-round decision the other night at the Stargazer Grand Boulevard Hotel in Roxas Boulevard, Manila. The 26-year old Pacquiao had another scary start after clashing heads with fellow southpaw Lorona which led to a temporary halt before ring physician Naseer Cruz cleared both boxers of any serious injuries. A badly cut Pacquiao settled for a disappointing technical draw versus Lorona last March, which led to a fifth and deciding meeting the other night. This time, however, Pacquiao showed great improvement in skills and stamina as he relentlessly battered a one-dimensional Lorona with an array of punches. Pacquiao will now look forward to more money-spinning bouts in the coming months, one of which is a slated appearance beneath a yet-to-be-determined match of his illustrious brother, Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao. In the co-feature, Rexon Flores scored a controversial unanimous verdict over Thai challenger Aree Phosuwungym to run off with the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific flyweight belt. A number of boxing pundits had some reservations in agreeing with the outcome as the Cadiz-native Flores ended the bout with a swollen left eye while his Thai opponent had an almost unscathed face. Boxing promoter Gabriel "Bebot" Elorde nonetheless believes both boxers deserve to win owing to their steadfast performances. In another development, the country's top promoter Sammy Gello-ani has signed an agreement the other night to sponsor another WBO regional title fight, this time involving fast-rising RP #1 bantamweight contender Rey Bautista. The youthful Bautista (10-0, 7 KO's), an undefeated KO artist from Bohol, will vie for the WBO AsPac 118-lb tiara versus Thai contender Saengsak Singmanassak on August 8 at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Center.

GABI TO CHALLENGE FOR WBC TITLE 7-2-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: Talented Diosdado "Prince" Gabi of Kidapawan City will attempt to become the next Filipino boxing star when he challenges World Boxing Council flyweight champ Pongsaklek Wongjongkam in Thailand on October 8. The southpaw Gabi, currently ranked WBC no. 12 and holder of the WBC International title, was chosen to face Wongjongkam owing to his impressive credentials which include 22 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw with 17 knockouts. Kidapawan City-based Socrates Piñol, in an interview yesterday, informed SecondsOut that his ward will be leaving for the United States very soon to hook up with legendary trainer Emmanuel Steward in order to get the best training available to beat such a formidable world champ as Wongjongkam. "We are sending Gabi to the United States right after we take care of his visa. Steward is highly anticipating his arrival at his Kronk Gym in Detroit, and we look forward to working with the legendary trainer," Pinol said. The Thai boxing hero boasts of a fearsome 51-2 win-loss slate adorned with 28 knockouts and has been unbeaten in his last 42 fights dating back to 1996 when he was knocked out by Filipino Jerry Pahayahay in the fifth round. Pongsaklek had won the WBC title with a shock first-round knockout win over Filipino Malcolm Tunacao in March, 2001 and has since successfully defended the title nine times, even registering the quickest knockout win in flyweight history when he crushed Japanese Daisuke Naito, inside 0:58 of the opening round.

NIETES MANHANDLES COSTELO 7-1-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: The country's No. 1 mini-flyweight Donnie Nietes lowered the boom on journeyman Roberto "Bong" Costelo, dropping the latter twice in the opening round en route to an impressive stoppage win at the 1:58 mark of their scheduled 10-rounder Wednesday night (6/30/04). Nietes took the early initiative, bombarding the visiting foe with head and body shots before putting away the hapless opponent as referee Baden Ribaya stopped the carnage. The win improved Nietes' record to 9 wins, 1 draw with 6 KO's. The event was made possible through the Filipino-Korean boxing partnership, of Kim Jong Ho of the renowned Empire Fitness Equipment and Park Yong Min of the Korean Boxing Plaza giving their support to this event. In the same light, Japanese businessman Tadeshi Miyake and long-time boxing sponsor Republic Chemicals, Inc. offered the same generosity. On the undercard, AEV's Robert Allanic kept his unbeaten mark with a solid knockout win over Mark Baite at the 1:34 mark of the second stanza. Also, Ruther Del Castillo prevailed via unanimous decision over Michael Rodriguez in the curtain-raiser.

FILIPINO PUG BIDS FOR WBO CROWN 6-28-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: Cadiz City boxer Rexon Flores will try to annex the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific Flyweight crown when he tangles with Thailand's Aree Phosuwungym of on July 21, 2004 in Parañaque City. The break could not have come better for the Manila-based Flores, as this will be his first-ever crack at a title and an international one at that. "I'm excited about the title fight," stated Flores, who parades a 9-2-3 win-loss-draw slate. "Excitement and nerve-wracking, the forthcoming championship fight opens a whole new dimension for this Pinoy pug," informs promoter Gabriel "Bebot" Elorde, Jr. "With the way boxing is gaining popularity in the past months as boxing champ Manny Pacquiao unleashes his powerful blows against foreign counterparts, more Filipino fighters are hopeful in their bid for their own seat in the international boxing world," Elorde adds. Also set to collide for their fifth encounter are RP super-featherweight champ Bobby Pacquiao and challenger Baby Lorona, Jr. This will be Lorona's fourth attempt of the elusive Philippine Super-Featherweight title against Manny's younger sibling. The double-header was previously set on July 3 but is now slated on July 21 in Paranaque to allow Lorona to recuperate from this month"s (June) sprain suffered while training. The event is promoted by Gabriel "Bebot" Elorde, Jr. under Elorde International Productions.

DELADA WINS IN CAMIGUIN 6-28-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: RP no. 4 junior lightweight Dexter "Dinamita" Delada of the Wakee Salud Stable is back in his old winning ways, easily out-scoring veteran Julius Tarona over 10 rounds in a Mambajao, Camiguin card last Sunday (6/27/04) backed by the Philippine National Red Cross and Mayor Gogo Romualdo. The lanky Delada bucked Tarona's dirty tactics, shutting out the latter en route to a 100-90, 99-90, 99-91 win to improve his record to 8 wins, 1 loss with 6 KOs. "Tarona used all the dirty tactics during the fight, even trying to use his thumb to injure Delada's eyes, but it never worked," said a source from ringside. The win also put Delada on track for a possible crack at RP champ Bobby Pacquiao in the near future. In the undercard, JR Sollano stopped Eddie Penaso in the third round; Roland Econas lost by unanimous decision to Edmund Develeres; Lexer Paingco trounced Dodong Dumagat; while Bogie Delada stopped Elsar Francisco at the 2:49 of the third frame.

BAUTISTA, MALCO WIN IN JAPAN 6/28/04 By Salven L. Lagumbay: Undefeated ALA Boy Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista continues his march to the top, easily dispatching of Japanese Hirokazu Yamazaki at the end of the third round of their scheduled 10-rounder last Sunday in Akashi City, Japan. However, RP superbantam champ Reynald Tribo, 7-1 (4), was not as lucky as he bowed to Japanese prospect Ryuichi Minoriyama, 15-5-3 (6), via unanimous decision in another 10-round affair while SGG's Pedro "Cobrita" Malco inflicted venom on Japanese Akira Ebisuoka, retiring the latter in the 7th round of their scheduled tenner. Bautista, 10-0 (7) the country's no. 1 bantamweight, completely dominated Yamazaki with several head and body shots, turning the Japanese boy's face into a gory mess that prompted organizers to send him immediately to a nearby hospital. The win bolstered Bautista's formidable grip at becoming the next challenger to RP bantam champ Joel Bauya. Tribo, however, got schooled by Minoriyama as the latter used his speed and lateral skills to cruise to a 97-92, 97-94, 97-93 win in this JM Kakogawa-promoted event.

DONAIRE BROTHERS WIN! 6-19-04.Two brothers fighting does not always make it a sibling rivalry. Instead, it produces two impressive victories that could open the gates for more. Brothers Nonito and Glenn Donaire scored impressive victories over their respective opponents before a sold out crowd of 1,275 at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello, CA Friday night. The bouts headlined a five bout "Battle of the Rising Stars" card, promoted by All Star Boxing. In the main event, Bantamweight Nonito Donaire faced Ricardo Barrera, who had faced more competition and had power in both hands. That did not deter Nonito, who from the opening bell displayed a dominating �performance over his veteran opponent. By the end of the first round, Barrera's face had swelling underneath his left eye that made it difficult to see. It was the result of Donaire's strong right hands that found their mark. Donaire also set up a three-punch combination by landing hard left hooks to the body. In the fourth, Barrera trapped Donaire in a corner and began to land hard shots, but a majority were blocked. Later in the round, Donaire established his dominance over his opponent by using his speed to land first. At the end of the fourth, the ringside physician, Pearlman Hicks, advised referee Jerry Cantu to stop the bout because of the swelling underneath Barrera's right eye, which by that time was almost shut. Donaire's technical knockout victory allows him to be the second person to ever stop Barrera, the first being IBF Bantamweight champion Rafael Marquez. After the fight, Donaire gave credit to his opponent. "He is a tough guy with a big heart," said Donaire, who was signing autographs for the Filipino crowd who were in attendance after the fight. "I was surprised he didn't go down from my punches. To be the second person after Rafael Marquez to score a knockout over Barrera is an honor because Marquez is such a great fighter. I am very happy with my performance tonight. Donaire, from Castro Valley, CA by way of General Santos City, Philippines, improves to 8-1, 6 KO's. Barrera, from Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, drops to 16-5-1, 13 KO's. Flyweight Glenn Donaire dominated Leonardo Castillo to win a six round unanimous decision. During a competitive first round, Castillo landed hard left hooks to the head of the taller Donaire. Both would throw good combinations in the center of the ring. Towards the end of the first, a hard left hook to the head by Donaire knocked down Castillo. Castillo would survive until the bell. Donaire would use the second to find his range and began to rip had shots to the head and body of Castillo. Donaire would be patient enough to wait for any opening and land hard right hands to the head of Castillo. Castillo stayed competitive in the bout, bloodying the nose of Donaire in the third. Castillo would attempt to do whatever it took to get inside of the reach of Donaire. The pace slowed down in the latter half of the fight, although Donaire continued to dominate the fight. Donaire attempted to break down Castillo further, but the resilient Castillo still pressed forward. All three judges scored the bout 60-53 in favor of Donaire. Fightnews.com scored the bout 59-54. After the fight, Donaire was neither impressed or disappointed in his performance. "I wish I could have down better tonight," said Donaire after the fight. "I wasn't tired, but I couldn't react the way I wanted to in this fight. I had to lose seven to eight pounds in the last two days. Maybe that was what affected my performance." Donaire continued, "I weighed 114 in my last fight. Tonight, I weighed in at 109. His (Castillo) style didn't bother me, but I really feel that the drop in weight affected me. The punch I knocked him down with wasn't even a hard punch. All I have to say is that it will be a different performance for my next fight." Donaire, from Castro Valley, CA by way of General Santos City, Philippines, improves to 12-1, 7 KO's. Castillo, from Celestun, Yucatan, Mexico, drops to 4-1, 3 KO's.

CATUBAY KO'S MONGOLIAN IN KOREA! 6-18-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: You've come a long way, Freddie! After defeating ex-WBC junior fly champ Yosam Choi last March 27, SGG wonder boy Federico Catubay continues to whip quite a storm on foreign territory as he pole-axed ex-PABA champ Yura Dima into submission in the 7th round of their scheduled 10-round bout in Seoul, South Korea on Thursday. Catubay started strong, sending down the southpaw Mongolian in the opening round, but allowed the latter to come back in the ensuing rounds for a highly-competitive fight. The Cebu fighter then put on the coup de grace in the 7th round, as he continued his assault on the visibly tired opponent who couldn't keep up with the ALA-trained fighter. Catubay's recent wins in foreign soil has continued to mesmerize fight fans who knew him before as a favorite whipping boy of local upstarts. Things, however, began to look bright for Catubay when he decided to hook up with Gello-ani sometime in February 2003, giving him the chance to train at the world-class ALA Gym while benefiting from an array of top notch sparmates thereat. Since joining SGG Stable, Catubay has already racked up 6 wins, including 4 against foreign foes, and lost only thrice albeit two of them controversially.

LUNAS LOST IN THAILAND! 6-1-04. WBC #23 Saenghiran Lookbanyai (8-0, 6KOs) impressively retained his ABC bantam title as he outpointed WBA #13 Rolly Lunas (16-3, 9 KOs) on Monday at Mongkutkasat school in Bangkok, Thailand. This bout was the third title defense of a former Muaythai king who destroyed well-known OPBF champ Jess Maca on September 19. Although there were no knockdowns, both fighters landed bombs in a very exciting bout. Saenghiran proved the better man with his aggressive style, exchanging toe-to-toe with his Filipino foe most of the bout in scoring a 115-111, 115-111, 117-110 unanimous decision win. Both fighters were deducted a point for head butts in round eight. Tuesday, June 1 2004

GORRES, DOMINGO WINS IN KOREA! 6-1-04. Mike Domingo (20-12-3) defeated WBC #11 bantamweight Seongsok, Chae (8-1) Monday (5/31/04) at the Buchun University-Gymnasium in Kyunggi-do, South Korea. Domingo dropped Chae in round three en route to a 97-95, 96-94, 95-94 unanimous decision win. In other action, super bantamweight prospect Z 'Boom Boom' Gorres (17-1-1) knocked out Yun-chul, Yuh (7-14-3) at 2:36 of round two

ALA BOYS TRIUMPH IN KOREA! 5-31-04. KNOCKOUT artist Caesar Amonsot of the ALA Boxing Club struck a lightning performance in his first fight abroad as he scored a fantastic second round knockout of Korean Kang Il Cho in the other night's( 5/29/04) "Philippines vs. Korea" boxing show at the Kyongmin University Stadium in Uijongbu City, South Korea. In the main event of the four-bout extravaganza presented by Park Yong Min and Kim Jong Ho of Boxing Plaza, Amonsot's equally-talented stablemate in Rey Bautista battled through a split decision victory against the durable OPBF No.1 super flyweight contender Jung Kwan Kim over 10 heats. Amonsot, one of the country's hottest featherweight prospects today, was smoking right after the first bell, landing a spate of solid hits to the head and body that flattened Kang in the opening session, although the Korean warrior got up deftly to beat the count. Amonsot launched another wave of fierce attack so frightening that it sent the hapless Kang into a nightmarish sleep with just 36 seconds gone by in the second round. Kang lied prostrate on the canvass for several minutes, while a medical team quickly came to his aid. Afterwards, the fallen Korean was carried on a stretcher and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Amonsot, thus, padded his undefeated record to 5-0 with all wins by way of knockout. Interestingly, Amonsot won all his three national titles in the amateur ranks also via stoppage. Later, OPBF ranked No. 8 bantamweight Bautista put up a courageous effort in withstanding a spirited resistance by the tough-fighting Jung. Bautista wisely used his skills in thwarting Jung's onslaught enroute to keeping his unbeaten record intact at 9-0 spiked with 6KOs. It was Bautista's second successful stint overseas. In his first business trip at enemy lines, the Candijay, Bohol-native Bautista stunned Indonesia's fight fans when he dismantled IBF Pan-Pacific jr bantamweight champion Hengky Wuwungan in just three rounds on April 20, 2004 in Jakarta. It was not all jubilation though for the Cebuano visitors in Korea as Edmund Velayo of SGG Stable reportedly lost by decision to the newly-crowned Korean light flyweight champion Myung Goo Yun.

JACA LOST OPBF BELT! 5-30-04. Anything can happen in the ring. Unheralded Yasuo Kunimi (15-5-4, 6 KOs), 121.5, Japan, surprisingly captured the OPBF 122-pound belt as he beautifully knocked out previously unbeaten WBC #5 ranked Jimrex Jaca (21-1, 9 KOs), 125.5, with a wicked body shot at 1:50 of the seventh round on Sunday night in Kanazawa, Japan. The Filipino southpaw Jaca had failed to make the stipulated weight and already forfeit his regional belt on the scale with three pounds and a half over the limit. Jaca showed a furious opening attack, but Kunimi, handled by American trainer Mack Kurihara, scored a knockdown with a countering right with the ex-champ kneeling down. Jaca, 20, attempted to make it a short affair by desperately attacking the 29-year-old Japanese with vicious body shots, taking the second and third. Kunimi, in the fourth and fifth, displayed a gutsy and effective retaliation to make it a see-saw battle. Jaca tried to finish the game and durable Japanese with powerful body blows in the sixth, but became visibly exhausted himself with his opponent��s tremendous durability. The sixth witnessed Kunimi pin him with a flurry of punches followed by a strong body shot, dropping Jaca again this time for the count. Before the knockout, the official tallies were 58-55, 58-56 and 57-56, all for Kunimi.

SUICO LOST TO FANA! 5-29-04 WBC top ranked Mzonke Fana (22-2, 9 KOs), 129.25, South Africa, earned a 12-round split decision over previously unbeaten #2 contender Randy Suico (21-1, 18 KOs), 129, Philippines, in a WBC eliminator to decide the official challenger, as Fana came off the canvas twice in the second and fourth, showed his remarkable recovery in dominating the fifth through eleventh with his constant jabbing and barely survived a critical moment by Suico's last surge in the final session on Friday night in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Scores: Franco Ciminale (Italy) 114-111, Thabu Spampool (South Africa) 115-111, both for Fana, and Bruce McTavish (Philippines) 114-113 for Suico.

GEJON STOPS EBALLE By Salven L. Lagumbay: 5-25-04.Unbeaten WBA Fedelatin minimumweight champ Yukka "Wiseguy" Gejon retained his unblemished record when he easily demolished Jun Eballe inside three rounds of their main-event showdown in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental. Gejon, a world-title prospect from the Wakee Salud Stable and currently ranked WBA No. 2, WBC No. 4 and IBF No. 10, was simply too much for the overmatched Eballe, as the Mandaue City warrior rained in bomb after bomb from the start against the outgunned journeyman. The win improved Gejon's immaculate win-loss-draw record to 19-0-1 with 11 knockouts, as he aims for any of the three major titles before the end of 2004. On the undercard, RP No. 5 super-bantamweight Rolando Gerungco won a one-sided battle with a knockout win in the third round over no-hoper Edgar Tahad. In another one-sided affair, JR Sollano TKO'd Cris Alag at 1:29 of the second round; while Roland Econas prevailed by technical decision over Jojo Arnado in the fourth session. May 24, 2004

MAYOL KEEPS OPBF TITLE 5-22-04. CEBUANO WBC rated No.3 Rodel "Batang Mandaue" Mayol of Stonewall Boxing Stable kept his Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) minimumweight title after breezing through a seventh round technical decision win over ex-WBC International titlist Ernesto Rubillar in the headliner of the glitzy "Live Match" show at The Fort's NBC Tent in Forbes Park, Makati City. Despite being hobbled by flu the past eight days, the WBA No.6 and IBF ranked No.10 Mayol showed big fighting heart to pummel Rubillar on all corners from the outset until the stoppage. He even floored Rubillar in the second round, but the latter got up deftly to beat the count. As Mayol continued his relentless attack, Rubillar at times threw some dirty tactics to parry the onslaught that eventually resulted into an ugly head-butt that opened a gaping gash on Mayol's right eyebrow in the seventh session. Blood profusely flowed out of Mayol's cut, forcing GAB ringside physician Nasser Cruz to intervene and halt the match during that fateful round. The cut needed several stitches to close. Thus, the 22-year-old Mayol was declared as winner by technical decision as he was leading by wide margins in all the judges' scorecards, thereby raising his unbeaten streak to 18-0 dotted with 14KOs. In the supporting main event, another undefeated Stonewall star Benedict Suico beat Jongjong Gagante via a controversial majority decision over 10 heats. Suico floored Gagante twice, but the Cebuano visitor was also knocked down once. Stonewall Boxing Club manager Joy Ouano, however, argued that it was an "illegal blow" that sent Suico down at the seat of his pants. Judges Alex Villacampa and Ver Abainza penned the bout at 78-73 and 79-72, respectively, for Suico, but Richard Flores surprisingly scored it 74-74. "His (Flores) judgement was very questionable. Suico was way ahead in the scores of the two judges then how come he scored a draw?We are bent on filing a protest before the GAB for that matter because we could not tolerate this obvious mistake," said Ouano. Also, Stonewall prized catch Mercito Gesta won by majority decision over Sherwin Daguhoy, while Wyndel Janiola's comeback fight was cancelled as Janiola reportedly suffered an LBM (loose bowel movement).

CASTANARES WIN IN MANDAUE 5-23-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay, ringside in Mandaue City, Philippines: Philippine junior welter boss Dindo Castanares figured in a fight, but found the key as he halted challenger Ramil Caballes 1:14 gone in the 10th round Saturday night here in a classic toe-to-toe, edge-of-the-seat war heading the "Triple Championship" card of Sammy "Don King" Gello-ani. Castanares seemed bothered by Caballes' height and reach advantage in the opening round, but regained his rhythm in the ensuing stanza before knocking down Caballes in the sixth frame with a barrage of punches to the head and body. Blood started oozing from Caballes' mouth early in the 7th, as Castanares continued engaging with the game challenger to the delight of the crowd which included some Korean boxing fans and supporters. "It was a very tough fight. I never expected him to be that tough, but my heart and conditioning carried me through," said Castanares post-fight. In the undercard, dynamite-fisted Rocky Fuentes of the ALA Stable, the unbeaten prodigy from Mambaling, took away the Philippine Boxing Federation mini-fly crown using a single left upper cut to the jaw on Davao's Philip Parcon. The shot was so strong Parcon had to be assisted back to his senses and to his corner. Also, SGG wonder boy Donnie "Ahas" Nietes wasted no time in strapping the PBF junior fly crown as he stopped journeyman Joseph Villasis following three knockdowns. Nietes proved too strong as he used his vaunted right straight to inflict venom on Villasis. Meanwhile, ALA Boy Rock N' Rollen Del Castillo kept his unbeaten mark after stopping veteran Rolando Baclayo in the 6th round. Other winners were: Eddie Apa-ap by majority decision over Cerilo Cabellon; Japan's Noriharu Iwatani by 3rd round TKO over Rolando Oyan; Danny Boy Bontilao by split decision over Cris Besmanus; Junarlex Mortel by TKO over Robin Santillanosa; and Robert Allanic by unanimous decision over Conrad Gonda.

LAURENTE DEMOLISHES NAGAI! 5-21-04. Ex-OPBF 122-pound champ Pedrito Laurente (15-8-1, 6 KOs), 122.75, Philippines, displayed a fine demolition of up-and-coming OPBF #6 ranked prospect Yuta Nagai (12-2-1, 9 KOs), 121.75, Japan, whom he dropped twice prior to the referee's well-received intervention at 1:56 of the seventh round on Thursday night (5/20/04) in Tokyo, Japan. The elongated Filipino, dethroned by compatriot Jimrex Jaca this January, proved too fast and sharp, if not powerful, for the hard-punching but less experienced Japanese, who absorbed much punishment by Laurente's long right shots.

PACQUIAO-MARQUEZ, A BLOODY DRAW! 5-9-04. Manny Pacquiao (38-2-2, 29 KOs) knocked IBF/WBA featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (42-2-1, 33 KOs) down not once, not twice, but three times in the opening stanza of their mega featherweight showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but he was only able to come away with a draw for his efforts. In boxing you must remember that nothing is as it seems. Those three first round knockdowns that Pacquiao scored would somehow only be counted as two on one scorecard.� Judge Burt Clements decided that Pacquiao should only be credited with a 10-7 round instead of the appropriate 10-6 scoring. That discrepancy cost Pacquiao not only the win but also the IBF/WBA titles held by Marquez.� Judge Guy Jutras scored the bout 115-110 for Marquez while Judge John Stewart saw the bout 115-110 Pacquiao.� Clements saw the a draw: �113-113.� Had Clements scored the round correctly, then his 113-112 Pacquiao nod would have resulted in a split decision for “The People’s Champion.” Pacquiao came out for the opening round snapping the jab.� Surprisingly it was Marquez who was sitting down on his shots, throwing them with serious power as Pacquiao advanced forward. Marquez was able to land the first significant punch of the fight when he popped Pacquiao with his right hand about a minute into the round. Marquez was having an excellent round until Pacquiao landed one thunderous straight left hand that sent the durable Marquez to the seat of his pants. Marquez quickly rose and listened to referee Joe Cortez administer an eight count.� When the action resumed, Marquez made the crucial mistake of trying to stand toe-to-toe with the power punching Filipino even though he had just tasted the canvas. That strategy would backfire and almost cost him the ultimate price.� Another left hand from Pacquiao would drop him for the second time.� Marquez reached his feet but instead of holding and regaining his senses he tried to catch the aggressive Pacquiao as he came forward.� This strategy left Marquez wide open to be hit again with powerful left hands. Pacquiao was able to sneak another left hand through the guard of Marquez that dropped him for a third time in the first round. Marquez laid on the canvas holding his nose while referee Joe Cortez continued the count. It appeared for just a moment that Marquez was not going to reach his feet in time. Marquez did pull himself up at the count of eight as he prepared to go back into the lion's den. Marquez exchanged with Pacquiao for the last thirty seconds of the round but this time he was able to remain on his feet. Marquez showed incredible heart and determination to battle through three knockdowns and a bloody nose in the opening round.� Pacquiao would come out for round two shooting his bread and butter left hand.� Marquez moved backwards while doing his best to keep Pacquiao off with jabs and jab-right hand combinations. Pacquiao pressed forward and controlled the action in the second round. Marquez made it through round two without being dropped and had some success landing his own offensive assault.� Marquez started to show his grit as a champion in the next several rounds.�� Marquez began to get in his rhythm and started to land his jab as well as right hands.� Pacquiao became more and more content on just landing his powerful left hand. Marquez was throwing and landing whenever Pacquiao pressed forward.� Marquez kept Pacquiao on the outside more with his accurate punching activity. Pacquiao was still throwing and landing his left hand but Marquez showed that he could weather an occasional flush left hand without going down. This pace of the fight would continue for both fighters throughout most of the middle rounds. Marquez continued his effective counterpunching and Pacquiao would try to force his way in to land his knockout left hand. Marquez’s counterpunching gradually slowed, as did the pace of the bout.� Pacquiao moved forward at times just throwing one single shot. The lack of an offensive assault from Pacquiao allowed Marquez to outwork him and get back into the fight on the scorecards. Marquez was having such success landing counter shots that he began to sit down on his punches more.� Marquez connected with quite a few thudding right hands on Pacquiao, who would take the assault and then attempt to fire back his own bone crushing power bombs. The focused punching of Marquez would cut Pacquiao over the right eye in the fifth round.� Marquez had clearly made the statement that he was here to fight and retain his titles. The brutal pace of the fight had made its mark on both fighters. Marquez bled profusely from the nose as well as a swollen lip and Pacquiao sported a cut right eye plus the bridge of his nose was grotesquely swollen.� The non-stop action continued in rounds eight and nine.� Marquez had more and more success with his right hands as Pacquiao tried desperately to land another left hand that might end the fight. Even when Pacquiao did land some thunder, Marquez was able to shake it off and fire back time and time again. Pacquiao became increasingly wild as the rounds progressed which resulted in less success landing flush as he threw his shots like an unsophisticated assassin.� Pacquiao offered little in the way of effective counterpunching but instead he concentrated on that one big knockout bomb. In rounds eleven and twelve - the championship rounds - the fighters continued to try to impose their will on each other. Marquez had great success throughout the fight whenever he forced Pacquiao back, which did not allow Pacquiao the opportunity to sit down and set his punches. Marquez was clearly the better boxer and controlled most of the action on the outside. Pacquiao was the bigger banger, but as the rounds progressed Marquez showed the ability to punch with Pacquiao in spots and hold his own whenever the two met inside. Marquez surprised a lot of people with his aggressive stance in the fight.� The two warriors traded evenly with huge power shots going down the stretch.� In the end, their brilliant display of power, speed, aggression, heart, determination, and skill was rewarded with the decision of a majority draw. Now boxing fans around the world are forced to wait and see if they will be blessed to see Pacquiao vs. Marquez II.

SANTILLAN REGAINS OPBF BELT 4-26-04 By Salven L. Lagumbay: Southpaw Rev "Gentle Giant" Santillan of Cebu regained the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation welterweight crown, prevailing on a split decision verdict over Hiroshi Watanabe after their 12-round showdown last night (4/25/04) at the Park Arena in Nagoya, Japan. Santillan (20-1-1, 15 KO's) battered Watanabe for most of the fight, and never allowed the Japanese to escape with yet another controversial win as he peppered his foe with head and body shots en route to winning on two of the three judges' scorecards. Australian referee-judge Brad Vocale and Filipino judge Alex Vidal favored the Iloilo-born Santillan, while the third judge--a Japanese--saw it for Watanabe. The win is a sweet redemption for Santillan, having lost the same OPBF belt to Watanabe on October 14, 2002 via a highly-disputed split decision win. Before the grudge rematch, Santillan had racked up four wins to keep himself on top of the OPBF hierarchy and get the chance for revenge. This time, OPBF president Frank Quill made sure the judging will not be stacked against Santillan, appointing a neutral official in Vocale, who hails from Australia. Santillan's trainer Brix Flores, in a long-distance call, informed that Santillan did enough damage in the fight to warrant a win. "Santillan clearly dominated the fight this time. We are so happy for this win," Flores said. Santillan was cheered on in his corner by manager Rex "Wakee" Salud and wife Elvie, and a group of Filipino seamen from Yokohama led by Torribio Manaay who came for their local idol.

PARO VS BARCELONA REMATCH IN PPBL FINALS 4-24-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: The grudge rematch comes into fruition after RP super-flyweight champ Eric Barcelona and no. 2 Sherwin "Super Assassin" Paro both trounced their respective foes Friday night in the semi-finals of the Philippine Professional Boxing League held in Mandaluyong City. Barcelona, fighting out of Bukidnon's Leonil Lazarito Stable, upstaged RP no. 4 Mark Sales by unanimous decision while in the co-feature, the Marty Elorde protégé Paro also decisioned fellow Cebuano Roselito Campaña. Paro and Barcelona are slated to duke it out once again in the finals tentatively set in May for the PPBL crown. Barcelona had lifted the vacant Philippine super-flyweight crown from Paro in a highly-disputed stoppage victory in November 2003 in Parañaque City. Paro's handlers, Marty Elorde and Cebu businessman Tony Aldeguer, had heavily protested the referee's treatment of the fight, which had him warning Paro several times even if Barcelona seemed to be the fighter doing infractions. The Mandaue-based Paro had since been aching for a rematch with Barcelona. Before facing Campaña, Paro reached the semis by cutting through Jojo Rodrigo and Franklin Macalibo in the elimination and quarter-finals. Barcelona, for his part, had edged out Roselito Campaña in another highly-controversial win which saw him being battered by Campaña. He then followed it up with a win over the limited Robert Dalisay last March 20.

VELAYO TO VIE FOR WBC YOUTH TITLE IN THAILAND 4-23-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: Cebuano Edmund "El Martillo" Velayo, the country's no. 4 minifly, will fly to Bangkok, Thailand today in time for his crack at the World Boxing Council Youth minimum-weight title against Thai Oleydong Sithsanerchai on April 30. The 20-year-old Velayo will be accompanied in his first international sortie by his manager Sammy "Don King" Gello-ani, trainer Moray Quijano, and another boxer Ronnie Cañete, who will also be seeing action in the undercard. Team Velayo flies at 11 tonight on board a Kuwait Airways flight bound for Bangkok. The highly-unorthodox fighting Velayo, known for his post-fight somersaulting talent, remains unbeaten in 9 fights with 8 wins, 1 draw and 5 KO's. The Talamban, Cebu native is known as a giant-killer in the local boxing scene, having put to sleep one-time PABA contender Benjie Sorolla in two rounds last Sunday. Last February, he shocked the boxing world with a single punch that knocked cold highly-touted Along Dinoy in a Dalaguete card. However, Velayo will have his task cut out for him as he will be facing an undefeated Thai prospect in Oleydong, who is also rated no. 10 by the World Boxing Council. Oleydong remains unscathed in 9 fights with 3 KO's, and has been on a 7-bout winning streak against rated Filipinos. First to fall was Arman De la Cruz in their WBC Youth duel on October 24, 2002. Then came a slew of Pinoy contenders who fell by the wayside namely: Nino Suelo, Ray Orais, Isidro Lorona, Carlo Besares, Federico Catubay and Philip Parcon.

BAUTISTA STOPPED INDON IN 3RD ROUND 4-21-04. In a stunning upset, ALA Boy Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista took the lights out of reigning IBF Pan Pacific super-flyweight champ Hengky Wuwungan by stopping the latter in the third round of their scheduled 10-rounder in enemy territory in Indonesia Tuesday night. The 17-year-old Bautista, a native of Candijay, Bohol now fighting out of the famed ALA Gym of Cebuano sportsman Tony Aldeguer, completely dominated the fancied Indon champ, unloading bombs after bombs to the face and body of the badly beaten Wuwungan until the referee stopped the bout at the one minute mark of the third session. "Sensational", "Fantastic", "Awesome", "Devastating" -these were some of the words that Indon boxing fans and authorities used to describe Bautista moments after shaming their local hero, who came into the fight armed with 21 wins and only 1 defeat. Sportsman Tony Aldeguer, who accompanied Bautista along with trainer Edito "Ala" Villamor, had earlier informed the media that he was unfazed by Wuwungan's credentials and experience, as the fight "was basically a test whether Bautista has it or not." The win improved Bautista's unblemished record to 8 wins with 6 KOs, and moves him into a planned stint in Korea on May 29 against a Korean opponent. Before he turned pro, Bautista excelled in the amateur ranks, fighting as a member of the unheralded Bohol boxing team and easily caught the fancy of the discriminating Cebu boxing experts when he won the 2002 National Youth Open Amateur Boxing Championship at the expense of two-time National Gold medallist and Cebu team mainstay, Nic Banal.

GEJON RETAINS CROWN, DELADA LOST 4-19-04.By Salven L. Lagumbay at ringside at Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines: Mini-flyweight kingpin Elmer "Sinangag Attack" Gejon easily defended his RP crown for the first time, taking top-ranked Ricardo Albia to school in a one-sided beatdown en route to a unanimous decision win in their 12-round tiff Sunday night (4/18/04) at the Lapu-Lapu Sports Complex here. The Mandaue City-based Gejon completely shut out Albia using his far superior offensive and defensive skills, as he kept peppering the challenger with head and body shots before cruising to a 120-108, 119-109, 120-112 verdict. It was a command performance for the busy-punching Gejon, a protégé of promoter Rex "Wakee" Salud, as he hopes to improve on his prestige as the OPBF no. 1 contender as well as PABA no. 2. After virtually toying with Albia in the first five rounds, Gejon inflicted a cut on Albia in the sixth, prompting referee Teddy Alivio to call on the ringside physician to check on Albia's bloodied left optic. Although Albia desperately tried to unload his power shots, Gejon was simply too elusive and well defended for the challenger to even come close to an upset. Gejon continued pummeling Albia through rounds 8th to 11th, before the duo closed out the show in a torrid exchange of blows where Gejon proved to be the better fighter. The win improved Gejon's record to 12-5 with 4 KO's. "Dinamita" upset: In the night's best upset, L&M's Nonoy Gonzalez de-mystified the country's top junior lightweight Dexter Delada as he reduced the latter into smithereens in the opening round of their scheduled 10-rounder. Gonzalez used a well-timed right to Delada's kisser, sending the Wakee Salud fighter on the seat of his pants for the count. He barely made the count on rubber legs. Sensing a major win, Gonzalez immediately pounced on Delada when fight resumed, as the latter helplessly crumpled on the canvas for good at the 1:29 mark of the first round. Also, RP no. 8 junior fly Jojo Bardon scored an upset with a fifth-round technical knockout win over top-ranked Elmer Muyco of L&M Gym. A right straight to the jaw ended matters for Muyco, who had to be assisted back to his corner while Bardon celebrated his biggest win so far. The night's most impressive fighter, however, was hot prospect Benedict Suico of Stonewall Boxing Club who easly pulled the plug on Jayson Geda at the 1:19 mark of the opening round. After a tentative start, Suico unleashed a shot to the face, then followed it up with unearthly combinations that sent Geda falling on his knees for the count, which he failed to beat. A new prospect is born: Equally impressive was another Stonewall warrior Mercito Gesta, who proved he was the real prospect when he trounced Flores Gym's Sherwin Daguhoy in a battle of prospects. Gesta showed better defensive and lateral skills en route to a 59-55, 58-57, 59-57 win. Other results had Gilbert De la Torre by unanimous decision over Jhay Herla; Danilo Cabardo by unanimous decision over Aljun Salugaul; and the debuting Bonbon Pumar by TKO in the 3rd round over Rogelio Bardon.

MAYOL TKO'ED INDONESIAN IN 8TH 4-6-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay at ringside: Orient and Pacific Boxing Federation minimumweight champ Rodel Mayol of Stonewall Boxing Club once again proved why he is the country's best pound-for-pound fighter outside of Manny Pacquiao after he demolished a bigger Julio De la Basez in the 8th round of a scheduled tenner at the RCTI Studio in Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday(4/5/04). The undefeated Mayol completely outclassed his heftier foe, landing solid blows on De la Basez starting in the opening that had the Indonesian banger reeling several times and groggy from Mayol's punches. In the 8th frame, Mayol connected several shots to the face, cutting De la Basez's eyelide to prompt the referee to put a halt to the carnage. "The opponent was very tough and big, and never went down although he was groggy in every round. The referee put a stop to his suffering in the 8th," relayed Mayol's trainer Carl Penalosa Jr from Jakarta. The win improved Mayol's undefeated mark to 17 wins with 14 KO's, and is expected to catapult him into higher rankings next month. Mayol is currently ranked WBC no. 3, WBA no. 6 and IBF no. 10. The WBO is expected to put him into the elite top 10 next month. The hard-punching former 5-time national amateur champ is slated to defend his OPBF tiara on May 21 in Makati City, after which he hopes to earn a crack at a world title. Among those being considered as Mayol's future foe are: WBC champ Eagle Akakura of Thailand, WBA titlist Noel Arambulet of Venezuela, IBF king Daniel Reyes of Colombia and WBO boss Ivan Calderon of Puerto Rico.

TRIBO WINS RP SUPERBANTAM CROWN 4-5-04.By Salven L. Lagumbay at ringside in Mandaue City: Nineteen-year-old ALA Boy Reynald Tribo annexed the vacant Philippine superbantamweight crown with a hairline split decision win over Bukidnon's Jake Verano after a 12 round action-packed war in the main event of the "Dream Fights" card here on Sunday(4/4/04). Tribo survived a late-quarter rally by Verano, banking on an early lead to fashion out a hard-earned 116-113, 116-115 win. The third judge saw it 115-113 for Verano. Tribo controlled the tempo of the fight, used his better aggressiveness, and landed the cleaner and heavier blows to earn the nod of the two judges. Verano, however, proved to be a tough nut to crack as he easily controlled the opening round with better lateral movement while bombarding Tribo with fast combos. Through rounds two to five, Tribo stepped up on his attack, landing body shots to a retreating Verano who seemed content on landing powderpuff punches especially in the last 10 seconds of every round. By the sixth, Tribo rocks Verano with solid rights and continues to stalk his taller foe. In the fight's best round, Verano turned the table in the ninth stanza as he rocked Tribo with several unanswered shot early. However, Tribo refused to wilt under pressure as he retaliated with his own body and head bombardments, sending the crowd on a pandemonium. Verano started spewing blood in the 10th round, as Tribo continued stalking the Bukidnon warrior while completely negating the latter's reach and height advantage. Verano then swept the last two rounds, as Tribo seemed to be inactive in the penultimate round while his opponent continued belting him with light punches. Blood oozed from Tribo's left eyebrow in the final round after an accidental clash of heads, as Verano closed the show with better activity to clinch the round in a desperate effort to turn the tide. "I felt I could control his style. I was never groggy. I just kept my focus," said Tribo in a post-fight interview at ringside. The win improved Tribo's record to 7 wins with 4 KOs, while Verano dropped to 8 wins, 3 losses with 3 KO's.

BATAWANG, ALA BOYS WIN 4-5-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay, ringside at Mandaue City: RP junior fly boss Bert Batawang of SGG Stable easily dismantled known brawler Along Dinoy, halting the latter with a right to the jaw 2:24 gone in the second round in the chief support of Sunday night's "Dream Fights" card. Batawang easily controlled the opening round, and never allowed Dinoy to find his usual range before sending down Dinoy in the second stanza. The win cemented Batawang's right to vie for the OPBF throne in August against Japanese titleholder Shingo Yamaguchi in Tokyo. RP no. 3 superfly ALA Boy Rey Bautista continued his unbeaten march as he put away L&M's Albert Cesa in the second round of a highly-entertaining affair. Bautista exchanged power shots with Cesa right at the get-go, then twice downed the visiting fighter to the delight of the crowd. ALA Boy Reman Salim also kept his unbeaten slate with a unanimous decision win over Elorde boy Elderd Romero, the RP no. 5 bantamweight. Scores were 96-94 (twice) and 100-94. The powerful duo of ALA Boys Caesar Amonsot and Rollen Del Castillo also registered contrasting wins after Amonsot halted Rolando Postrano in the second round, while Del Castillo prevailed with a lopsided decision win over Jhay Herla. Meanwhile, Edmund "El Martillo" Velayo remains unbeaten as he perfected a TKO win over Benjie Sorolla but will have to work better on his post-fight somersaulting abilities. Velayo attempted to do a double-somersault after halting Sorolla, but his second foray had him landing on the ropes for a good laugh from the audience. Then after he was awarded the win, his second attempt again elicited guffaws after he came short and landed on his knees. Still, Velayo is proving to be a very colorful Cebuano boxer with his "hammer punches" and floor exercise side-event. The curtain-raiser had Danny Boy Bontilao winning over Presciano Tabasa by unanimous decision.

LEAR-BAUYA ENDED IN A DRAW! 3-29-04. By Salven L. Lagumbay: SGG's Johnny Lear failed in his attempt to reclaim his old belt when he was held to a draw with RP bantamweight champion Joel Bauya on Sunday evening (3-28-04) in Binangonan, Rizal. However, two Cebuanos impressed Manila boxing fans after ALA Boy Rocky Fuentes toyed with the overmatched Steve Dimaisip while SGG wonder boy Donnie Nietes stopped the experienced Jojo Rubillar in the seventh round. Lear and Bauya figured in a chessmatch early, but soon found themselves stepping up before finishing their bout via scores of 113-113 from two judges while the third judge wildly scored it 117-109 for Bauya. It was Bauya's first defense of the crown he took by stopping another Cebuano Noel Sungahid December 2003. The bout was also Lear's first local outing since a successful campaign in Indonesia. But while the main event failed to produce the drama, SGG's Donnie Nietes and ALA Boy Rocky Fuentes provided the fireworks of the night. The undefeated Fuentes got up from a fifth-round trip to the canvas to completely befuddle and outclass Steve Dimaisip en route to a unanimous decision verdict. The power-punching Fuentes used his all-around skills to cruise to a comfortable 97-92, 98-91, and 96-93 win. Nietes, meanwhile, padded his unbeaten mark with a masterful stoppage victory over Jojo Rubillar at the 1:22 mark of the seventh round. The RP-ranked Nietes, trained by ex-RP champ Dan Nietes, is considered one of Cebu's fast-rising pugs. Lear, Fuentes and Nietes all train at the famous ALA Gym of sportsman Tony Aldeguer. March 29, 2004.

CATUBAY UPSETS CHOI IN KOREA. 3-28-04 Cebu-based fighter Federico Catubay of the SGG Stable of Sammy Gello-ani shocked the boxing world Saturday night after shaming former WBC junior fly champ Yo-sam Choi with a split decision verdict at the 88-Palpal Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea. The humble boy Catubay, a native of Labason, Zamboanga del Norte, dominated Choi from the get-go and never wavered in his effort en route to cruising to a 97-95, 96-95 verdict from the two judges, while the third judge saw it for Choi 96-94. The win is expected to catapult the 24-year-old Catubay not only in the RP rankings, but more importantly in the world rankings of the boxing bodies which ranks Choi as IBF no. 7, WBC no. no. 11 and WBA no. 12 in the junior fly class. The win upped the Moray Quijano-trained Catubay's record to 13-7-3, with 8 KO's while Choi dropped to 26-4, 15 KO's. In the undercard, Isidro Lorona (12-4) lost by 8 round tech decision to Korean flyweight champon Jin-Man Chun (5-1). The scores were, 77-76, 78-76, 78-76.

JANIOLA, ALA BOYS WIN IN FISTORAMA By Salven L. Lagumbay: 3-26-04 IBF no. 5 junior flyweight Wyndel "Braveheart" Janiola scored yet another impressive performance, halting Danilo Pena in the seventh round of their scheduled 10-round Fistorama mainer held at the Cantada Boxing Academy in Taguig last Thursday evening. Janiola completely outclassed his foe, using a variety of shots to Pena en route to scoring his 15 win against 2 losses with 7 KO's. In the undercard, the ALA boys deadly duo of featherweight prospect Caesar Amonsot and 105 lbs whirlwind fighter Rock 'n Rollen del Castillo made an auspicious debut in Fistorama TV program last night. The bemedalled 18-year-old Amonsot made mince-meat of veteran and former rated Ferdinand Sagado and punished him with an array of powerful blows to force the referee Robert Pacasil, Jr. to stop the carnage at the 1:52 seconds of the 3rd round. Sagado was actually on the verge of hitting the canvas when the referee mercifully intervened and pulled the raging Amonsot from inflicting more punishment. The abbreviated win improved the unblemished fight record of Amonsot to 3 wins all by knockouts. Meanwhile, the 16-year-old phenom Del Castillo pummeled the wily Ricky Seniego to score a lopsided unanimous decision victory. Del Castillo almost shut the daylights out of Seniego in the 2nd round when he registered two knockdowns over the veteran Seniego. All three judges, Narciso Martinez, Pascual Ingusan, and Cris Odullo favored the undefeated Castillo who has now 3 wins with two KOs. Amonsot and Castillo are slated to appear in the "DREAM FIGHTS" of Sammy Gello-ani promotion on April 4, 2004 at Mandaue City Sports Complex. In other bouts, Stonewall's Mercito Gesta remains unbeaten with a 40-37, 40-36, 38-38 majority decision win over Rene Nival; Junarlex Mortel prevailed by split decision over Chris Dujali; Erik Rapada decisioned Roy Tarasona; and Elden De la Cruz won by split decision over Carlo Jayme in another 10-round event.

PARO WINS OVER MACALIBO 3-21-02. Back in his old superb form, ALA Boy Sherwin Paro took care of business with a technical decision win in the fourth round Saturday night (3/20/04) over Franklin Macalibo at the Mandaluyong Elementary gym in the mainer of the Philippine Professional Boxing League. Paro took control early, using his vaunted jabs to set up his thunderous rights to completely befuddle the L&M Gym fighter Macalibo. Paro then sent down Macalibo later in the first round for a clean knockdown. However, an accidental headbutt from Macalibo in the second round reopened Paro's old cut around his right optic, and it was followed by another headbutt in the opening round that prompted the stoppage of the fight. Referee Robert Macasil Jr. went to the scorecards where Paro was declared winner via scores of 30-26 all by judges Alex Villacampa and Cris Odulio, while the third judge Narciso Martinez saw it 29-26 also for Paro. The win improved Paro's record to 13 wins, 2 losses with 9 KO's and gives him a ticket to move into the semi-finals of the PPBL tournament next month. "Sherwin moved so well tonight. He's back in his deadly form," informed Paro's manager Marty Elorde. Paro's trainer Moray Quijano said the injury is not that severe, so he just applied "butterfly" bandage on Paro's cut. "I will have him train right away to prepare for his next fight," informed Quijano. In the undercard, Roselito Campana scored an important win with a ten round unanimous decision win over Allan Fuentes.

MAYOL CRUSHES KEY! 3-19-04. WBC #3; WBA #6 minimumweight Rodel Mayol (16-0,13ko's) of the Philippines destroyed Indonesian rising star Iwan Key in round six of a scheduled ten on Tuesday (3/17) in Jakarta, Indonesia. Both contenders came up agressively, but the stronger and faster Mayol landed a sharp left uppercut to Key's rib: the Indonesian fell to the canvas and did not get up until the ten-count finished. Also on the card, WBA #4 jr. fly Marvin Tampus, also from the Philippines, fought an aggressive bout and hammered Anis Ceunfin of Indonesia in the first session of their scheduled ten rounder: Tampus pressed Ceunfin to the corner before the ref stopped the action and let the doctor check a cut over Caunfin's eye. Fightnews.com actually saw Tampus as a deserving TKO winner, but the judges decided for a technical draw.

LAPUZ KO'S BUHAWI 3-15-04. By Quesito Garcia in Cawayan, Masbate: Hard-hitting Dondon Lapuz scored an important win over RP No. 8 bantamweight Romeo Buhawi, sending the latter down twice en route to an eighth round knockout win here Sunday evening. Lapuz scored big knockdowns in rounds three and five, then delivered the coup de grace with a blistering right hook to the chin to send Buhawi on all fours for good as referee Baden Ribaya decided to stop the carnage. Buhawi stayed prone on the canvas for a good five minutes before regaining his consciousness. "I would like to dedicate this win to my girlfriend Flor Acobo," said an ecstatic Lapuz during ringside interview with this writer. With the win, Lapuz is now poised to vie for the PABA featherweight title soon in Thailand. However, the night's biggest story came when highly-respected trainer Pacing Flores, who was working Buhawi's corner, collapsed moments after his ward's defeat, then was declared dead by attending physician Jose D.Ybanez at the nearby municipal hospital. Flores, 77, was apparently downtrodden upon seeing his ward on the canvass for quite a long time, and complained of shortness of breath before he was brought to the municipal hospital. (Please read related story soon) On the undercard, Gilbert De la Torre of Flores Gym edged out veteran Rolando Baclayo by unanimous decision; Jayson Geda TKO'd Noel Acasio in the second round; Shewin "Chickboy" Daguhoy stopped Nikki Baclayo in the opening round; and Roland Malunhao poleaxed Roel Kulot also in the opening session.

TRIBO TO VIE FOR RP CROWN 3-1-04. ALA Boy Reynald Tribo will be the first among all members of the New Generation ALA Boys to vie for a Philippine title when he takes on RP No. 2 and one-time WBC Youth featherweight contender Jake Verano on April 4 for the vacant RP super-bantamweight title at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex. The Bago City-raised Tribo, ranked No. 1 RP super-bantam, dukes it out with the Bukidnon-based Verano of the Leonil Lazarito Stable, the No. 2 contender for the vacant title. The 19-year-old Tribo remains unbeaten in six fights with four victories inside the distance, while the 22-year-old Verano parades eight wins, two losses, one draw and five knockouts. To prepare for Verano, the busy-punching Tribo will spar with Japanese prospect Ryuichi Minoriyama, ex-RP bantam champ Johnny Lear, and fellow ALA Boys Sherwin Paro and Reman Salim. On January 18, Tribo passed his acid test as he pulverized tough Manila boy Elden De la Cruz in the fourth round of their scheduled 10-rounder on the Sinulog card at the Gaisano Countrymall carpark. Verano, for his part, vied for the WBC Youth featherweight title, losing to Aussie Tommy Browne last December 5 in New South Wales, Australia via unanimous decision. Also slated to see action is RP junior welterweight champ Dindo Castanares in a 10-round, non-title event against a foreign foe. Castañares is coming off a successful defense of his RP 140-lb title against Nonoy Gonzales last Saturday in Mandaue City.

CASTANARES HURDLES COMEBACK FIGHT by Emmanuel B. Villaruel March 1, 2004 OPBF ranked No.4 140-pounder Dindo "Diesel" Casta�ares of the ALA Boxing Club was apparently a bit rusty in his ring return after seven months of hiatus. But nevertheless, the comebacking Casta�ares put up a gallant stand in enduring a fierce exchange of punching firepower enroute to hacking out a close, but well-received unanimous decision win over a very game Nonoy Gonzales of Manila's L & M Stable to keep his RP jr welterweight crown the other night at the Mandaue City Sports Complex. "I am satisfied and happy with my performance.At least, I lasted the full distance without wearing down," said Casta�ares, who never ran out of gas as he battled through a spirited challenge by Gonzales over 12 heats. The 23-year-old Casta�ares felt the ill effects of his long period of inactivity right after the opening bell, where he fought sluggishly and his defense was very flimsy that left him being caught by a couple of Gonzales' solid hits to the head. "I was groggy in the first round when I got hit by Gonzales. I was really affected by my long layoff at that time," admitted Casta�ares, who is booked to fight next against a foreign opponent either in Indonesia or Australia. Casta�ares found his rhythm in the second round where he started to pound Gonzales relentlessly from corner to corner, but the Manila visitor used his sleek counter-punching skills in flustering the speedy Cebuano slugger oftentimes. Casta�ares' bright moments were when he landed telling combinations to the head that staggered Gonzales twice in the sixth and eight rounds. He could have finished off the hardy Iloilo-native warrior in those instances, but couldn't launch the kill. Smelling triumph, Casta�ares opted to just run around and throw in limited punches in the final round as Gonzales agressively chased him in a desperate attempt to score a last-second knockout, which did not came. The three judges scored the bout at 118, 115, 116-113, and 115-113 all for Casta�ares, who improved to 13-2-1 with 9KOs and stayed unbeaten at home with Gonzales as his 13th Filipino victim. "I have never been nervous than this fight (considering that Dindo has not fought in the past seven months)," said boxing patron Antonio "Bidoy" L. Aldeguer, the manager of Casta�ares. "But what made me happy is the crowd," added Aldeguer, on the referring to the satisfactory response of the spectators. It was a morale-boosting win for Casta�ares, who saw action for the first time since absorbing back-to-back setbacks�all by knockout�to OPBF champion Masakazu Satake of Japan and Richard Reina of Venezuela in July 2003. "Dindo was prepared physically, but not a hundred percent mentally because he has been inactive for seven months. Our one-month preparation for this fight was really not enough, but it was actually a good win that will surely help him regain his morale," said ALA chief trainer Edito Villamor. In the crowd-pleasing undercards, all except Rocky Fuentes of the dreaded ALA's "Fearsome Foursome" romped off a sparkling KO triumphs led by "Rock'n" Rollen del Castillo, who sneaked in an electrifying right straight to the jaw that grounded Jerry Manganid of Butuan City at the 1:28 mark of the second round. "Rollen was the most impressive," Aldeguer commented. Super featherweight prospect Caesar Amonsot, on the other hand, landed a collection of punches to the head and body that sent Danilo Logramonte sprawling on the canvass writhing in pain for good at the 2:22 of the opening session. Rising RP No.7 super flyweight contender Rey Bautista was also awesome in dropping Rommel Libradilla down on both knees with three consecutive combos capped by a crisp right straight to the chin, so furious that referee Teddy Alivio wisely stepped in to halt the carnage at 1:10 of the second round. Fuentes, however, had a tough time getting rid of veteran Allan Dugang, who tenaciously weathered the ALA fighter's decisive attack.There were no knockdowns though as Fuentes sealed his sixth straight win via unanimous verdict. In the preliminaries of the Sammy "Don King" Gello-ani-presented "Dindo is Back" fight card, Donnie Nietes won by split decision over Julius Alcos, Ryan del Prado stopped Rico Genon, while Danny Boy Bontilao decisioned Markyll Taroja.

ABAPO TKO'S FOE IN INDONESIA 2-25-02. Undefeated RP No. 2 junior lightweight Bart Abapo easily defeated local hero and ex-national Indonesian champion Gideon Salasa via an eighth round technical knockout to keep his unblemished mark to 13 wins, 8 knockouts in Jakarta, Indonesia. The technically superior Abapo, aided by second Danny Bactol in his corner, worked behind his vaunted jabs to outbox Salasa from the get-go, and when the Indon's bloodied and broken nose could no longer hold up, the referee had no choice but to stop the beating. There were no knockdowns in the fight, but Salasa, who outweighed Abapo by at least 10lbs during the fight, couldn't seem to find the right antidote to Abapo's stinging jabs which frustrated him before being stopped. The win allowed Abapo yet another fight sometime next month in his 3-month tour of duty in Indonesia arranged by promoter Sammy "Don King" Gello-ani and an Indonesian counterpart.

MANGUBAT-GORRES ENDED IN TECH DRAW February 22, 2004; A NASTY cut over the left eye of WBC No. 29 Z Gorres caused by an accidental headbutt from Randy "Destroyer" Mangubat put an abrupt end to their 10-round superflyweight fight at the Makati Coliseum Friday.(2-20-04). Referee Ferdinand Estrella declared the fight a technical draw at one minute 35 seconds of the second round after ring physician Nasser Cruz, chief of the Medical Section of the Philippine Government's Games and Amusements Board (GAB) and OPBF representative on the World Boxing Council's Medical Board, found Gorres unfit to continue. The cut needed 8 to 12 stitches to close. Mangubat also sustained a half-inch gash at the side of his right eye from another collision of heads in the opening round. Mangubat's Mandaluyong, M. Manila-based manager, Yuki Murayama, said he plans to file a protest with the GAB against Estrella for failing to deduct a point from Gorres. Two judges had it 10-9 for Mangubat and 10-10 draw after the first round. After landing at least two hard rights to the face, the shorter but more experienced Mangubat forced himself inside the defense of the counter-punching Gorres early in the second round. The tactic, however, caused the clash of heads that ended the fight. "He's lucky. After I caught him with some solid blows, I know it was just the beginning of teaching him a lesson. He couldn't last for five rounds if the fight wasn't stopped. Honestly, his punches were not hard as I expected," said Mangubat, a one-time WBC flyweight title challenger and former PABA minimumweight boss and WBC International flyweight champ. The best moment for the 21-year old lefty was when he caught his foe, who has six years on him, with a solid right-left combination to the kisser late in the first round after Mangubat landed with a hard left hook and a few straight hands of his own. Gorres was denied the chance to show his dazzling skills as advertise. Gorres's trainer-cornerman Edito "Ala" Villamor, mandatory challenger of Mexican legend Ricardo "Finito" Lopez for the WBC minimumweight title at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1996, claimed his fleet-footed fighter would be good for 12 rounds and on a roll to control the fight. "Gorres was never intimidated or hurt. Had the fight not been stopped, Gorres had a very good chance to win because Mangubat's style is tailor made for my boy," said Villamor. Mangubat, 114, (31-19-12 with 16 KOs) and Gorres, 115, (15-1-1 with 9 KOs) took home P50,000 each and they split the P20,000 bonus from Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado. On the undercard, Philippine No. 6 junior flyweight Elmer Muyco, a tall southpaw, 108, scored the only knockdown of the fight in the third round and won via technical decision at 33 second of the sixth round after ring physician ruled IBF No. 12 minimumweight Ernesto "Hard Rock" Rubillar, 108, unfit to continue due to a huge cut he got from an accidental head-butt. Nineteen year old minimumweight Jun Eraham knocked down Albert Cesa in the penultimate ninth round to win a lopsided decision over 10. Cesa was penalized a point due to excessive holding in the 7th round. Manny Pacquiao's 20-year old super-flyweight fighter Orland Enriquez, 116, took a hard time before he won via unanimous decision over 8 rounds against over the hill native of Pampanga province Felix Manalansan, 116, of Mandaluyong City stable. Minimumweight Sonny Boy Jaro and Ricky Saniego figured in a split draw after their incessant brawl over 8 rounds. Judges scored 76-76 even, 80-73 for Jaro and 77-75 for Saniego.

RODRIGO FALTERS IN OPBF TITLE BID 2-16-04. FILIPINO Edgar Rodrigo faltered in his bid of wresting the OPBF flyweight crown after dropping an eighth-round technical split decision loss to WBC ranked No. 3 and defending champion Noriyuki Komatsu last night in Osaka, Japan. The bout had to be stopped by the ringside physician after an accidental headbutt inflicted a gaping gash on Rodrigo's right eyebrow. Two judges scored 79-72 and 80-71 for Komatsu, while Nick Giongco of the Philippines saw it 76-75 for Rodrigo. Rodrigo was on the attack in the opening round that saw Komatsu back-pedalling oftentimes. The Japanese, however, landed one solid punch that sent Rodrigo down at the seat of his pants. The 24-year-old Rodrido got up wobbly, but was saved by the bell from further harm. The Filipino warrior charged back in the next three rounds, but Komatsu retaliated in the sixth and seven frames. "If I were really to call it fair and square, I would have given it to Komatsu by a couple of points. Rodrigo's long layoff really took an effect. Even Joe Koizumi said Rodrigo had a very food start and just got "careless," posted Giongco on mannypacquiao.ph website. Rodrigo, who became the Philippine flyweight title-holder after dethroning Cebuano Z Gorres of the ALA Boxing Club via ninth round knockout in June 1 last year in Makati City, dipped to 9-3-3 with 4KOs, while Kamatsu stretched his unbeaten streak to 18 with five draws and 9KOs.

PARO WINS, CAMPANA LOSS 2-16-04. RP No.2 super flyweight contender Sherwin Paro drew extra courage and strength from the ardent cheers of his ALA stablemates in extinguishing the fiery Jojo Rodrigo via a close majority decision over 10 heats in the other night's Philippine Pro Boxing League (PPBL) jr bantamweight tournament at the Mandaluyong Elementary School gym. In the other 10-round, non-title shootout headlining PPBL's Valentine's Day show, RP 115 lbs. crown-holder Eric Barcelona of Bukidnon and former PABA flyweight champion Roselito Campa�a of Cebu figured in a fierce exchange of gunfire that kept the delighted Mandaluyong crowd on their feet until the final bell. Campa�a was the underdog but the former two-time amateur "Best Boxer" awardee displayed superb counter-punching skills to lock himself up into a crowd-pleasing trade of bombs with Barcelona. When the dust settled, Barcelona pulled off an unexpected lopsided win via unanimous verdict, with all the three judges scoring 97-93, 97-93 and 97-95 for the Mindanao brawler. Earlier, Paro, who was cheered on at the sidelines by the promising ALA pugs Rocky Fuentes, Rollen del Castillo, Rey Bautista and Cesar Amonsot, weathered Rodrigo's energy-sapping body shots by countering with solid left jabs and punishing right straights. The four undefeated young warriors sparred yesterday against separate foes during the opening of the Wild Card Gym in Sucat, Para�aque, a top-notch fitness center which will serve as the new training camp of Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao. The 20-year-old Paro, co-managed by Cebu boxing patron Antonio "Bidoy" L. Aldeguer and businessman Marty Elorde, summoned his experience to fend off a spirited challenge by the tough-fighting Rodrigo. The Mandaue City-native Paro, who snapped out of his two-game losing skid�all title bouts against Thai Komrit Lukkuongmuekol and Barcelona�bettered his win-loss record to 12-2 with eight knockouts.

LAURENTE DRAWS WITH NAGASHIMA 2-8-04. WBC #3 ranked lightweight Kengo Nagashima (25-2-2, 14 KOs), 136, failed to impress the crowd as he was held to a split draw by WBC #17 OPBF champ Dennis Laurente (19-2-4, 11 KOs), 136, in ten see-saw rounds on Saturday night in Tokyo, Japan. Laurente's OPBF title wasn't at stake. It was a lousy fight of southpaws as they repeated used hit-and-grab tactics against each other. Nagashima, who had moved up to the 135-pound division after his failure to win the vacant WBC 130-pound belt by a second round demolition by Thailander Sirimongkol Singmanassak Singwangcha in 2002, could not utilize his trade-mark footwork due to the Filipino's quick attack. They swapped few punches and kept clinching to avert the opponent's retaliation. The Japanese lefty, in the opening session, sustained a cut on the forehead, which kept streaming blood and kept him from outboxing as smoothly as usual. Laurente fought better than expected, so he deserves a rematch.

VELAYO, SALIM WIN IN DALAGUETE 2-2-04. While ALA Boy Reman Salim cruised to an easy unanimous decision win over a bigger Dondon Lapuz, it was SGG's Edmund 'El Martillo' Velayo who stole the limelight in Sunday night's 'Kumbate sa Dalaguete' as he hammered RP No. 3 junior flyweight Along Dinoy into submission. The unbeaten 'El Martillo' Velayo, who seemed too raw for the tough Dinoy and clearly behind on all judges' scorecards, used a hammerjack punch to set up an earth-shaking left uppercut that shook the result of the fight, sending Dinoy helpless on the seat of his pants after 46 seconds of the seventh round. Referee Baden Ribaya counted out Dinoy as the latter was in no shape to continue, while Velayo, played up to the jampacked crowd by somersaulting across the ring to the delight of fight fans who now idolize him. Velayo had a point deducted in the third for an accidental headbutt, but this did not stop the SGG wonder boy upsetting Dinoy and improveing his unbeaten record to 7-0-1-(3). In the main event, Reman Salim cruised to a 97-93, 97-93, 99-95 win over a much bigger Dondon Lapuz to extend his undefeated record to 6-0-(2). Meanwhile, the upset axe fell on SGG's Cerilo Cabillon as he bowed down to veteran Ronnie Canete via a split decision verdict. Also, Keeward Minoza prevailed over Jason Geda by unanimous decision to improve his record to 4-1-1-(2).

GABI DEFENDS TITLE ON MARCH 19 2-1-04. WBC International flyweight champion Diosdado "Prince" Gabi will make the first defence of his title against Thai warhorse Vanmichok Kannorasing at the Baguio Convention Center on March 19. Promoter Raffy Panagan, in an recent interview, revealed that Gabi and his team have already agreed to the terms of his first defense of the title he wrested from Randy Mangubat in November, 2003. "We are bringing in a formidable foe for Gabi in his first defense. This will be a tough road for the champion,"� informed Panagan from his base in Baguio. Kannorasing, parading an unblemished 15 wins with 1 draw, has vowed to wrest the title away from Gabi, a mainstay of the Fortstone Boxing Club of Kidapawan City. The WBC No. 14-ranked Gabi, a talented southpaw, boasts a 24-2-1 win-loss-draw record with 19 knockouts. He has never lost via knockout, in fact, both his losses were deemed controversial against Thai fighters in the opponents back yard. "Grabe na ang improvement ngayon ni Gabi. Eversince he dethroned Mangubat, he's been keeping himself active in the gym,"� revealed Gabi"s manager Soc Pinol. Gabi, along with Sydney Olympian Danilo Lerio, trains at the North Cotabato Provincial Gymnasium. If victorious in his first defense, plans are afoot to bring Gabi to the United States where he will further hone his skills under the tutelage of Emmanuel Steward, trainer of WBC heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis.

GEJON BEATS PANAMANIAN 2-1-04. CEBU'S Eriberto "Ioka" Gejon displayed his cunning against the relatively unknown Carlos Melo to win the vacant Fedecentro belt, disposing of the Panamanian fighter in round four of their scheduled 10-round fight at the El Piedro El Poliedro in Caracas, Venezuela yesterday. The Mandaue native, who fought in one of the undercards of the Latin American Festival of Boxing "KO to Drugs" card sponsored by the World Boxing Association (WBA), dropped heavy bombs as his superior skills and talent proved too much for Melo, who was caught by surprise by the total ring-manship of the former beme-daled amateur fighter. "I am overwhelmed by the victory," Gejon's manager Rex "Wakee" Salud in an interview. "Gejon did live up to his promise to stop Melo, whom he described as not in his class, before the fifth round. I am proud of him. I think Gejon could be my next world champion, if he continues to display this kind of attitude." Salud said that Gejon's victory automatically puts him in the No.1 stop and he will get the right to fight the WBA interim champion, Juan "Baby" Landaeta, who defeated former No.1 Chana Porpaoin by decision in the main event of the "KO to Drugs" promotion. "We will all wait for whatever decision the WBA will give in the coming days," said Salud, who has produced three world champions. "Noel Arambulet is still the champion, although he was declared 'champion in recess'. For now I just want to give Gejon enough room and tune-ups before he gets the world championship shot," added Salud. The win came just two days after Ioka's older brother Elmer won the vacant RP minimum-weight crown, which once belonged to him, at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel. Gejon displayed an aggressive game at the start of the bell as he unleashed strong punches that stunned the Panamanian, who stood two inches shorter than the Mandaue City warrior. The third round was an ordeal for Melo, who became the receiver of all the punches by the determined Gejon. Melo finally yielded the fight after a knockdown midway in the fourth. Melo's camp threw in the towel to save their fighter from further punishment. The victory was Gejon's 18th against no defeat and one draw. He has 11 wins by knockout. Melo dropped to 8-3.

SUICO KO'S BAEK, JACA WIN 1-31-04. Quesito Garcia in Cebu City, Philippines: Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation super-featherweight king Randy 'Komong Bato' Suico inched closer to a possible world title crack this year with a blitzering second-round demolition of Korean mandatory challenger Seungkwon Baek at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City. In the co-feature, Cebuano Jimrex Jaca dethroned OPBF junior featherweight boss Pederito Laurente over 12 gruelling rounds. The 24-year-old Suico, ranked WBC and WBA No. 2, started strong in the opener, bombarding Baek with face and body shots while the visitor desperately tried to parry the onslaught. In the second round, Suico stepped up his attack while evading the Korean's desperate haymakers. With 45 seconds gone in the round, Suico unleashed a short but powerful left hook-uppercut to Baek's jaw, sending the latter falling like a log on the canvas. Referee Bruce McTavish counted out the unconscious Korean right away, as ringside physicians got into the ring apron soon after to resuscitate Baek who got up after almost three minutes. The win improved Suico's record to 21 wins, no losses with 18 knockouts and arranged an April bout with South African Mzonke Fana for the WBC-mandated eliminator. In the co-feature, Cebu�s Jimrex Jaca knocked down Pederito Laurente in the fourth round, then out-pointed the latter for much of the bout en route to a near-shutout unanimous decision win. Jaca scored the lone knockdown with a barrage of punches in the fourth, and after Laurente survived referee David Chung's mandatory 8-count, went on to outpoint the Elorde boy en route to a lopsided 117-110, 116-111, 119-109 verdict. "Laurente is really a good boxer, but I did my best because I wanted the title so much"�, said Jaca in a post-fight interview at ringside. Japanese promoter Kashimi confided at ringside that Jaca's manager Wakee Salud has already agreed to pit his boy against Japanese Yasuo Kunimi on May 3 this year. "I'm very happy for my boy's win. I am very proud tonight," promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud reacted on Jaca�s win. The WBC No. 8 Jaca remains unbeaten in 21 fights with 10 KO�s. Meanwhile, Elmer Gejon of Mandaue City earned the biggest win of his career as he snatched the vacant RP mini-flyweight crown with a majority decision over top-ranked Jun Arlos. Arlos scored a disputed knockdown in the second round, but was deducted a point in the ninth for a deliberate foul and again in the 10th for head butting as Gejon ran away with a 116-113, 114-112, 112-112 verdict. "This is a very big win for me. "I �m so happy with this win from God",� said Gejon when interviewed ringside. Another Cebu star was born when RP No. 1 junior lightweight Dexter Delada of Camiguin easily took out PBF champ Rex Marzan with 2:19 gone in the second round of their scheduled 10-round non-title. A series of body blows from the Cebu-based Delada sent Marzan to the floor as medics tried to revive him right away. In the other bouts, Louie Bantigue decisioned Aljun Salogaol; Roland Econas stopped Octavio Aleonar in the 5th; and Sherwin Daguhoy knocked Jeffrey Gonzales.

FUENTES, BAUTISTA VICTORIOUS CEBU CITY, Philippines �1-19-04- The future of Cebu boxing is clearly in good hands following what turned out to be an impressive showing by the ALA Boys in Sunday night's "Sinulog: The Best of the New Breed" against seasoned foes at the jampacked Sammy Gello-ani card at the Gaisano Countrymall carpark. In the main event, ALA Boy Rocky Fuentes did not disappoint in a historic bout with Rober Gadian as he rained body blows on the latter en route to a fine technical knockout win at the 2:54 mark of the fourth round. It was a highly dramatic match-up featuring two pugs with tragic victories in their resume. For lack of a more apt description, it was a bout between killer pugs. However, Fuentes, still reeling from his recent tragic bout against the late John Eman Juarez, did not go head-hunting, opting to dig deep into Gadian's midsection with crisp and accurate shots in the first three rounds. By the fourth, Fuentes' power became more evident, and as he pinned Gadian in the latter's corner, the visiting fighter turned his back writhing in pain and shaking his head. He has had enough, and referee Teddy Alivio had also seen enough and saved him from more punishment. In the co-feature, ALA Boy Rey Bautista (5-0,4ko's) of Candijay, Bohol (RP no. 7, PABA no. 9 superfly) took on his toughest foe to date in a stretched out bout against wily veteran Rodel "Kid" Orais. Bautista inflicted a cut on Orais with a legit blow in the second round, then followed it up with a knockdown in the fourth against Orais to cruise to a 96-93, 99-92, 97-93 unanimous verdict win. Orais, however, proved to be equal to the task as he befuddled Bautista with great lateral and angled movements all throughout, oftentimes taunting Bautista to the delight of the close to 7,000 spectators who watched the show. In the end, however, Bautista's effective aggressiveness and better conditioning saved him from Orais ring experience. In the night's most exciting war, ALA Boy Reynald Tribo (RP no. 2 superbantam) proved to be real deal as he pole-axed a talented Elden De la Cruz with a barrage of shots en route to an impressive technical knockout win at the 26 seconds mark of the 4th round. Tribo scored a knockdown in the opening session, but found himself in the middle of the storm as De la Cruz never wavered in a take-no-prisoner affair. Meanwhile, debuting ALA Boy Ceasar Amonsot passed his baptism of fire as he stopped Ozamiz City's Rey Lumoljo at the 2:41 mark of the 5th frame. After weathering Lumoljo's early spurt, Amonsot bucked down to work right away as he caught the visitor with several body shots to end matters as Lumuljo went down for the count and for good. Another debuting ALA Boy, Rock N Rollen Del Castillo knocked down Renante Rodena in the opening session, then unleashed a right to the body to stop the latter 24 seconds gone in the second round. Another ALA Boy, Reman Salim, failed to see action after his opponent Daniel Diolan was declared medically unfit to fight by the ring physician. In the curtain-raiser, Ryan del Prado stopped Philip Daniel Mansing in the 6th to keep his unbeaten slate.

GAMBOA LOSES TO ARCE 1-11-04. WBC lightfly champion, Jorge "Travieso" Arce knocked out Joma Gamboa in round two to retain his belt in front of 7,000 in Centro Banamex in Mexico City. Arce dominated the study first round with a left jab and some body shots, however neither fighter landed a hard punch. "Travieso" hurt Gamboa with a right hand to the head then floored the fomer WBA straw king with a powerful left to the chin. Gamboa was on the deck the full count by the referee Jay Nady. The official time was 1:38. Gamboa will retire after this loss.

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