LEAGUE OF FISTS: LIU BEATS YANG IN SUPERBANTAM SEMIFINAL
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 14 Nov 2016
SHANGHAI, CHINA - A bloody Sunday capped the three-day fight schedule for the League of Fists professional boxing tournament. Liu Zhong gave a masterful boxing display despite having to fight through blood from a cut on his left eyelid and beat Yang Zhengpeng by a lopsided unanimous decision.
An accidental clash of heads in the opening round opened the cut. Liu?s cornerman managed to minimize the bleeding and Liu used his footwork to avoid Yang?s punches while giving him angles to land accurate counters.
All three judges ? Sawaeng Thaweekoon, Edward Ligas, Mekin Sumon ? had it 60-54. The referee was Atty.Danrex Tapdasan.
Liu is now 8-0,2KO?s. Yang goes down to 2-4-3,1KO. Liu will be waiting for the winner of the other 122lb division semis on a later date.
Su Cheng beat Filipino Nelson Gulpe by unanimous verdict in their super welterweight bout. The southpaw Su had trouble figuring out Gulpe in the early going but was the busier fighter. Gulpe also was more survival conscious near the end of the fight. Scores ? Yan Wenyong and Zhu Yuwen ? 59-55, Yang Hong ? 60-54.
The fight between Liu Yongcai and Boonsom Phothong of Thailand ended in a technical draw after three rounds. Phothong surprised Liu by knocking him down in the second round when the southpaw Liu walked into hard right.
Liu fired back in the remainder of the round but in the third, an accidental head butt inflicted a cut on Phothong?s left eyelid which led to the stoppage.
In the first women?s boxing match featured in the League of Fists, Yu Yahong showed good boxing skills in beating Suo Ma by unanimous decision in their super bantamweight fight. Scores ? Danrex Tapdasan, Yan Wenyong and Surat Soikrachang ? 40-36.
In a four round cruiserweight bout, Zhu Xinglong beat Zhang Yucheng by TKO after Zhang chose not to answer the bell for the third round.
Zhou Yunfei won by unanimous decision over Maimaiti Keyimu in a light heavyweight match. All three judges had it 40-36.
Li Yuzhe pinned Yin Zhaofeng on the ropes in the second round and unloaded a volley of unanswered punches prompting Referee Sawaeng Thaweekoon to stop the fight at the 2:13 mark.
Zhang Xuanming got off the canvas in round two to beat Zeng Yujie by split decision. Judges Edward Ligas and Yuan Yunzi had it 38-37 while Zhao Yubin scored 39-36.
In the opening bout of the evening, Liu Xuelong fired a heavy barrage of punches to knock out Cheng Long at 2:48 of round one.
The League of Fists boxing tournament announced the opening of its third season in a press conference held last Thursday. Three straight fight cards were held over the weekend at the Xianxia Tennis Center in Shanghai. The boxing series is promoted by SECA and TOP RANK. The bouts were officiated by the Professional Boxing Commission (PBC) of China.
Photo ? super bantamweight finalist Liu Zhong (left) and super welterweight Su Cheng
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Manny motors to Vegas
By Joaquin Henson, Mon, 14 Jul 2025Bakbakan sa Elorde on July 19
By Lito delos Reyes, Mon, 14 Jul 2025Ringside, Still: Remembering Chino Trinidad
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Sun, 13 Jul 2025Hamzah Sheeraz Demolishes Edgar Berlanga in Stunner, Becomes Mandatory Challenger to Canelo Alvarez
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 13 Jul 2025Shakur Stevenson Masterfully Tames William Zepeda to Retain WBC Lightweight Crown
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 13 Jul 2025JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Score KO Wins in Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 13 Jul 2025Yanon is PBF flyweight champ
By Lito delos Reyes, Sun, 13 Jul 2025Taylor vs. Serrano Trilogy: Can Amanda Get The Nod?
By Chris Carlson, Sat, 12 Jul 2025BERLANGA-SHEERAZ, STEVENSON-CEPEDA, MORELL-KHATAEV MAKE WEIGHT IN NEW YORK
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 12 Jul 2025Johnny Spell Takes on Chancellor Batttenberg on Saturday, July 19th at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, PA
Sat, 12 Jul 2025JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Make Weight for Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Philippine Under-12 Girls Team Shines Bright, Clinches Multiple Medals at 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Penang
By Marlon Bernardino, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Kenneth “Llover Boy” Takes on “El Nica” Concepcion Aug 17 on Gerry Peñalosa’s Show @ the Winford Resort and Casino Manila (Analysis)
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony Velazquez won’t be Boxing’s best kept secret in 2026
Fri, 11 Jul 2025Undefeated Gabriela Tellez Returns July 18 at “Night of Champions” Live on DAZN
Fri, 11 Jul 2025