ZAMBOANGA'S ROAD TO GLORY: PROMISING YOUNG FIGHTERS MAKE BIG IMPRESSION
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 26 Feb 2008
Several promising young fighters who made their debut in the ?Road to Glory? fight card put on an impressive performance on the undercard of the WBO Oriental featherweight title fight won by Eric Canoy in a 9th round TKO over African Rajabu Maoja in Zamboanga City last Saturday.
Felix Tanamor, the younger brother of Harry Tanamor, the only boxer to have qualified so far for the Beijing Olympics, put on a powerful display to score a first round TKO over fellow newcomer Marlon Paduga.
Flyweight Marvin Mabait looked sharp and strong in a first round demolition of Ramil Cabalan scoring a sensational knockout at one minute of the opening round while Marlon Canoy scored a TKO over Ritchie Duay in 2:45 of the first round.
Top photo: Joy Trojillo (R) and Tata Ponce engaged in a phone booth battle in the most applauded fight of the night.
GAB boxing chief Dr. Nasser Cruz personally checks the fallen Marlon Paduga who was knocked out by Felix Tanamor (below) in the first round.
Felix Tanamor wins in his professional debut.
Jonh Henry Gaspar (R) takes the offensive against Andelo Andajar.
In another impressive showing by young fighters from the stable of Congressman Erbie Fabian who promoted the fight card which drew over 10,000 fans to the air-conditioned Zamboanga City Coliseum, John Henry Gaspar had to battle a tough Andelo Andajar before eventually scoring a TKO at 1:22 of the third round.
The fight that brought the fans to their feet was the grudge rematch between lanky Joy Trojillo and rugged Tata Ponce who engaged in a furious, non-stop exchange of a variety of punches until the bell sounded at the end of the first round.
Unfortunately for the fans, Ponce suffered a nasty injury to his left eye forcing the ring physician to instruct the referee to call a halt before the start of the second round. In what may well have been billed as a ?Night of Knockouts? the Ponce-Trojillo rematch would certainly quality for the ?Round of the Year? because of its three-minutes of slam-bang action
An excellent young fighter from the stable of Maasin, Sarangani Mayor Jojo Lopez, Bimbo Nacionales, showed great promise in a second round TKO over Tiny Rojas. Mayor Lopez is another public official whose heart is into boxing and who has produced a roster of potential champions of the future.
All the fights on ?The Road to Glory? will be telecast beginning March 16 on ?The Main Event? at 9:00 p.m. on Sundays over IBC 13, sponsored by Tanduay, the No.1 Rhum.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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