'LITTLE PACMAN' FALLS IN FLORIDA
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 16 Jul 2016
He was nicknamed after the popular boxing icon and his fellow General Santos City pugilist the Philippines. But on Friday night at Kissimmee, Florida - Joebert ?Little Pacman? Alvarez suffered a disastrous loss in the ring.
Alvarez, 26, was stopped in the first round by Miguel ?No Fear? Cartagena, 24, of Philadelphia in a scheduled six-round flyweight match at the Kissimmee Civic Center.
Alvarez (15-2-1, 7 KOs) started the fight aggressive and strong, overwhelming Cartagena (15-3-0, 6 KOs) with jabs and straights that connected early for him. But the momentum of the fight shifted early and quick in the favor of Cartagena in the same round.
After being warned by the referee for hitting during a break, Cartagena floored Alvarez with a left hook with over a minute left in the opening round. Alvarez recovered from the knockdown but the Philly boxer finished the stunned Filipino boxer seconds later with a flurry of punches that sent Alvarez down again.
Alvarez rose from his second knockdown but he was visibly wobbly and shaken prompting the referee to immediately halt the fight in favor of Cartagena with 46 seconds remaining in the first round.
Alvarez, who once started 10-0 and whose only defeat prior to this was a UD loss to Flyweight kingpin, Juan Francisco Estrada (2014), suffered the first knockout defeat of his career. He won the vacant WBO-NABO Flyweight belt by knocking out Jonathan Gonzalez in Puerto Rico last March.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com and @Freemazon910 on Twitter.
Photo: Joebert Alvarez (L) with his trainer Nonito 'Dodong' Donaire Sr.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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