SOLLANO WINS IN JAPAN
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 21 Dec 2007
OPBF No. 2 lightweight JR Sollano has come back from a bad beating at the hands of South Africa?s WBC International lightweight champion Ali Funeka who stopped the Filipino in four rounds at the Orient Theater in East London, South Africa to win handily over Japan?s Hiroshige Osawa in Osaka.
Well known boxing manager, matchmaker and journalist Joe Koizumi who was recently elevated to the ?Hall of Fame? said Sollano was ?too powerful? for Osawa who was ranked No. 11 by the Japan Boxing Commission.
All three judges scored the ten round bout for Sollano. Two judges had the rugged Filipino winning by a margin of 97-93 while the third judge also scored it for Sollano, 96-94.
Koizumi reported that Sollano caught the Japanese with big right straights upto the seventh round before Osawa began connecting with jabs and combinations as Sollano began to fade in the last couple of rounds. Sollano, a fighter of Rex ?Wakee? Salud has won his last three fights in Japan and has improved his record to 15-8, 11 knockouts while Osawa dropped to 11-2-2 with 6 KO?s
In his fight against Funeka, Sollano faced a champion who was in outstanding form and used his left jab effectively against the shorter Sollano according to boxing writer Ron Jackson of Super Sport..
Jackson said Sollano who at that time had a record of 12-7 with 9 knockouts was ?unable to get past the probing left of Funeka? who has a record of 29-1-2 with 23. In fact the Filipino was reported to have landed possibly three or four scoring punches in the first three rounds.
Johnson reported that Funeka ?picked up the pace at the start of the fourth round and began landing some stinging combinations before backing up Sollano into the neutral corner where a short right to the jaw dropped him on his back against the ropes.?
Sollano managed to beat the count but as he staggered forward Belgian referee Daniel van de Wiele stepped in to call a halt at 2:45 into the round.
The 29 year old Funeka?s only loss was to reigning IBF junior lightweight champion Mzone Fana. He is being lined up for a title fight against OPBF champion Randy Suico with the winner likely to get a crack at the world title.
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