QINGDAO RECAP: THREE OUT OF FOUR PINOYS SUFFER DEFEATS
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 28 Jul 2018
QINGDAO,CHINA - Froilan Saludar looked like a world champion in the first two rounds. He was fast, slick and he outpunched and outclassed the defending WBO flyweight champion Sho Kimura of Japan.
For six minutes, the Filipino contender from Polomolok, South Cotabato showed why early in his pro career he was compared to boxing great Luisito Espinosa. His jab was sharp. His right hand was on target and stopped Kimura in his tracks. Saludar mixed in his offense with shots to the body.
But the Japanese showed his champion's heart in the third. He continued to be aggressive and trapped Saludar in the Philippine corner and landed heavy hooks in brutal succession. Saludar had no answer.
Kimura transformed himself into a monstrous tsunami. He punished Saludar in the midsection and his hooks to the head made the Chinese audience gasp.
Saludar survived the third and fourth rounds but he was never the same again. In the fifth, Kimura?s heavy volley to the midsection sent him down. He courageously got up as his cornermen yelled for him to endure.
Endure he did. Referee Chris Flores told this writer after the fight he was close to stopping it in the fifth but Saludar fired back.
But Kimura?s onslaught was too much for Saludar to endure. In the next round, head and body shots continued to land. But it was the hooks to the body that drained the Filipino. His legs were gone. He went down again and the referee signaled the end at 54 seconds of the sixth round.
History was not on Froilan?s side. His brother Vic won the WBO world minimumwieght world title a couple of weeks ago in Japan against Ryuya Yamanaka. A victory for Froilan would have made them the second pair of Filipino brothers to win world titles after Dodie Boy and Gerry Pe?alosa. But the Pe?alosa brothers reigned in separate decades. The Saludars would have been the first to win on the same month.
Kimura?s victory brought back memories of his title win against Chinese star Zou Shiming last year. Kimura was behind on two of the three judges? cards before he stopped Zou in the eleventh round. In that fight, Kimura showed his tremendous fighting heart in pursuing Zou all night long despite a long cut on the Japanese?s right eyebrow.
It will be back for the drawing boards for Saludar. His trainer told this writer he had to cut down a lot in weight during training and may have to make a move up to bantamweight. Vic also lost in his first title attempt so Froilan could still make history in the future.
Sonny Katiandagho lost to China?s Baishanbo Nasiyiwula by unanimous decision for the vacant WBA Asia and WBC ABCO superlightweight titles. It was a competitive bout but Katiandagho faded in the later stages and suffered a knockdown in the ninth. The scores of the three judges were identical at 117-110.
In non-title bouts - Jelbirt Gomera lost to Xu Can of China by TKO in the seventh round. Gomera landed effectively in the early going but Xu?s size advantage proved to be too much. Miel Fajardo was the lone Filipino winner, getting a six round decision win over China?s Xiang Li.
At ringside was Merlito Sabillo, a former WBO minimumweight world champion, who assisted the cornermen of Pinoy boxers Katiandagho, Gomera and Fajardo.
The main bout featured WBA minimumweight world champ Thammanoon Niyomtrong of Thailand who successfully defended his belt against Chinese challenger and former WBC champ Chao Zhong Xiong by unanimous decision. The scores were 118-110 twice and 116-112. One of the judges was Filipino Ver Abainza.
Wulan Tuolehazi of China knocked out Thai Watana Phenbaan with a powerful right in the fourth round to win the WBO Asia Pacific flyweight interim belt.
Photo: WBO champion Sho Kimura (L) and Filipino challenger Froilan Saludar (R) in action during their WBO world flyweight bout Friday in Qingdao, China.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
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