ANOTHER DONAIRE DEMOLITION, MAGSAYO SHOOTS DOWN AVALOS (PHOTOS)
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 24 Apr 2016
CEBU CITY ? It was a question of who would land his left hook first. And Nonito Donaire did it in devastating fashion.
After a probing opening round, Donaire fired two quick left hooks in succession followed by another hard left that sent Hungarian challenger Zsolt Bedak crashing to the canvas in the second. Blood dripped from his nose when he stood up and another left hook knocked him down again.
The bell was merciful.
But in the third round, Bedak was dropped for a third time prompting referee Russell Mora to signal the end of the carnage. Bedak said after the fight that he was fine despite bleeding from the nose and mouth. Time 2:44.
Donaire endeared himself to the hometown crowd by speaking in Bisaya. The island of Cebu is proud of its language and boxing heritage. With this performance, Donaire showed that he is indeed worthy of the moniker ?Flash?, a name that was worn by Cebu?s favorite son and legendary boxer, Gabriel Elorde.
Donaire busted Bedak's nose with a left.
Donaire scores knockdown No. 1 over Bedak.
Donaire scores knockdown No. 2 over Bedak.
Donaire scores knockdown No. 3 over Bedak.
Donaire retains his WBO superbantam belt after disposing Bedak in three rounds.
MAGSAYO STOPS AVALOS IN A PHILIPPINE FIGHT OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE
There were anxious whispers from boxing pundits going into this fight.
Is Mark Magsayo really ready for a fighter like Chris Avalos? Maybe he needs a couple of more ?test fights?? What if the real Avalos shows up?
Well, the real Chris Avalos did show up.
He was in shape, and fighting for his career, judging from the way he weathered the storm in the second round after he was staggered by a left hook. Magsayo had him reeling from pillar to post but he recovered near the end of the round and knocked down Magsayo in round three with a left hook.
Avalos, from California,USA, also had the upper hand in the fourth. It seemed like Magsayo was way over his head but he gathered himself in the fifth.
Team Magsayo celebrates as Avalos heads off to his corner.
Avalos dropped his guard for a split second and Magsayo pounced with a hard hook that shook Avalos? knees.
Avalos was unsteady and looked to be out on his feet as Magsayo attacked like a wild dog. The bell saved Avalos and the ring doctor checked on him before the start of the sixth.
Another heavy hook from Magsayo sent Avalos careening into the ropes and receiving another volley. Referee Danrex Tapdasan made the right call, stopping it at the1:55 mark.
Avalos walked for a few seconds before rushing out of the ring, while the crowd yelled themselves hoarse.
The scores when the fight was stopped showed Salven Lagumbay having Avalos ahead 47-46, two judges ? Katsuhiko Nakamura (47-46) and Greg Ortega (48-45) had Magsayo in the lead.
Magsayo showed character with this victory but he should learn to relax himself, not just before a fight, but also during the fight, so that he will not punch himself out. A calming presence in the corner would be very helpful.
FLEMING WINS WBC CONTINENTAL AMERICAS TITLE
Paul Fleming of Australia bucked a flash knockdown in the opening round to beat Miguel Angel Gonzales of Mexico by unanimous decision. This was a well fought tactical battle with both sides having their moments.
Scores - Randy Caluag and Oliver Garcia ? 97-92 and Dan Nietes ? 96-93.
Too bad the fight happened after Magsayo-Avalos, when the crowd inside the Cebu City Sports Center were still resting their throats and recovering from an emotional high.
Paul Fleming of Australia gets the W over Mexico's Miguel Angel Gonzalez.
For the other results:
Jason Pagara fought through blood from the sixth round onwards to beat Mexican Miguel Zamudio by unanimous decision. Scores ? Arnie Najera and Edward Ligas ? 98-92, Edgar Olalo ? 99-91.
Rocky Fuentes squeaked past Romnick Magos by majority decision.
Scores ? William Manus and Cesar Gamboa ? 78-74, Edwin Barrientos ? 76-76.
Jeo Santisima hammered Tabthong Tor Buamas with brutal body and head shots and won by TKO in the first round. Referee Teddy Alivio stopped it when Buamas hit the canvas at the 2:59 mark.
Christian Bacolod knocked out Marlou Sandoval in 1:49 of the opening round. Referee Romar Embodo reached the count of ten after Sandoval went down due to body shots.
Virgel Vitor won by TKO in the third round against Paulo Perono. Referee Nic Banal stopped it at the 1:12 mark with Perono glassy eyed after suffering a knockdown.
In the opening bout, Lorenz Ladrada beat Renjie Sabanal by unanimous decision.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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