Night of fireworks
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 12 Feb 2025
In some 30 years in the boxing business, WBO Asia Pacific chairman Leon Panoncillo said he’d never witnessed a more exciting main event than what went down at the NuSTAR Convention Center, Cebu, last Saturday. Panoncillo, 59, is a Hawaiian of Filipino descent and from his Bangkok base, coordinates the WBO activities in the Asia Pacific region, often serving as fight supervisor at ringside aside from his duties as a sanctioning executive.
“Amazing action from start to finish,” said Panoncillo after Japanese challenger Ryuto Owan rebounded from a pair of mandatory eight-counts to halt Korea’s defending WBO Global featherweight champion Jeong Seon Kang with a second left in the ninth round. “Congratulations to promoter Dr. Winley de la Fuente for putting on an exciting show that fans will never forget.”
Dr. de la Fuente, who holds a doctorate in business administration from the University of Cebu, is well-known for staging cockfight derbies and made his debut as a boxing promoter in the event called “Binukbukay Sa Sugbo.” He plans a follow-up to the show in October. “It will be bigger and better,” Dr. de la Fuente said. “I know more about feathers than fists, having promoted derbies in the past. This was my first step into boxing, a challenge to bring something new, something big for our community to experience a top-tier event that will inspire and empower us.”
In his words, Dr. de la Fuente, 50, partnered with NuSTAR Resort and Casino “to celebrate not just boxing but a new chapter of premier entertainment in Cebu, the perfect venue to reflect the caliber of world-class boxing.” From the weigh-in to fight night, the glitter of a Las Vegas-like showcase was evident.
The fight between Kang and Owan was a barnburner. Kang, 23, is ranked No. 4 by WBO and was promised a crack at the world crown by Teiken’s big boss Akihiko Honda if he retained the WBO Global title. There hasn’t been a Korean world champion since WBC featherweight champion Chi In Jin in 2006. With over 60 Korean world titlists in history, it’s a wonder why no one has followed in the footsteps of legendary champions like Chang Jung Koo, Myung Woo Yuh and Kim Ki Soo. Owan, 26, belongs to the same stable as former four-division world ruler Kazuto Ioka and is a rising star with a 13-2 record, including eight KOs.
Against Owan, Kang started aggressively but had difficulty finding his range as the Japanese’s length was a problem. Blood trickled out of Kang’s nose in the third round then in the fourth, he staggered Owan with a right to the jaw and scored a flash knockdown. Owan battled back and in the seventh, dropped Kang who tumbled backwards into a somersault. That same round, Kang floored Owan and the crowd burst into a frenzy. Then, Kang began to tire and couldn’t cope with Owan’s work rate. In the ninth, Owan pressured Kang into the ropes and flailed away with both fists churning. Thai referee Surat Soikrachang stepped in to rescue Kang who was virtually defenseless. Medics attended to Kang in his corner and strapped an oxygen mask to facilitate his breathing. The Korean was brought to a nearby hospital for a CT-Scan and later discharged. The loss dropped Kang’s record to 20-2-2, with 11 KOs.
Photo (L-R): Promoter Winley dela Fuente, Cebu City mayor Raymond Garcia, Thai referee Surat Soikrachang, Ryotu Owan and WBO's Leon Panoncillo, Jr.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
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