Cuello, Pena Defeat Separate Foes in Binangonan Boxing
By Salvador Lopez
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 31 Aug 2008
Current RP mini-flyweight champion Denver Cuello and reigning RP super-flyweight champion Danilo Pena came out victorious in their bouts against separate opponents in Friday night's ?Binangonan Royal Rumble? held at the Ynares Plaza in the lakeside town of Binangonan, Rizal.
Fighting in the last bout of the quadruple main event, Denver Cuello dictated most of the action to defeat Michael Landero via a unanimous decision in their non-title light-flyweight match. Landero had a good start and seem to have won the first two rounds with good lateral movements, blocking most of Cuello?s shots and connecting well even though he was deducted a point for a cut sustained by Cuello from accidental head-butt in the second round. Cuello started strong in the fourth letting his hands loose landing hooks to Landero?s head and body. The fourth round was fought on even terms but it was Cuello the rest of the way beginning the 5th round as his confidence level rose and continually dropping those wicked hooks and uppercuts ? many of them just getting through the defense of Landero. For his part, Landero shifted to a defensive mode and was tentative in throwing his punches just content to take the role of a counter-puncher that rarely occurred. Scores of the bout were 97-92, 99-90, and 100-89, all in favor of Cuello.
In another bout, Danilo Pena was the busier fighter to defeat the tough Anthony Esmedina in their super-flyweight non-title bout. The fight was dull marred by a lot of shoving, clinching, and several low blows committed by both fighters resulting in a point deduction against Pena in the 7th round. In the end, Pena won a unanimous decision by the scores of 97-91, 97-92, and 96-93.
Fighting for the first time in front of his new boxing home, former WBC international mini-flyweight champion Gabriel Pumar put on an impressive performance to defeat Eric Rapada in their flyweight bout. Rapada started well in the scorecards when he connected some nice punches to Pumar?s midsection in the first round and a point deduction against the latter for a cut sustained by Rapada from an accidental head-butt. Pumar took the second round scoring a big uppercut that staggered Rapada who was also deducted a point for a cut sustained by Pumar from another head-butt. While Pumar appeared to have controlled the succeeding rounds (rounds 3-6) with heavy and crisp punching, Rapada was going wayward using various tactics not found in the book, receiving a point deduction in the 4th and later in the 8th round. With the nature of his infractions, at one point rubbing his elbow on the cut of Pumar, he was lucky not to have received more point deductions, let alone, penalized by disqualification. Rapada appeared to take the succeeding rounds (rounds 7-9) but Pumar managed to neutralize his opponent?s dangerous surge by putting on a strong last round giving him a close split decision victory (94-90 and 95-90 in his favor, and 93-91 in Rapada?s favor).
The lightweight bout between Dan Nazareno, Jr. and Elmer Saligumba was a well-fought match characterized by a lot of exchanges and very few clinching. All the rounds were competitive although Nazareno just got the better of most of them to score a unanimous decision victory by the scores of 98-92 (twice) and 99-92. The fight was rightly adjudged as the best fight of the evening.
Another home-town favorite, teen-aged Quilver Cailing, displayed fine boxing technique to defeat the seemingly out-of-sync Dino Lelis in their minimum-weight bout. Cailing continuously peppered Lelis throughout the bout putting the latter on the verge of being stopped. The scores were 80-72 (twice) and 79-73.
In another bout fought at the featherweight limit, Ronnel Esparas figured in a split draw with Jose Ocampo (58-55 for Ocampo, 57-56 for Esparas, and 57-57). The match featured an interesting contrast of styles with the aggressive Ocampo swarming with haymakers and Esparas, whose looks and fighting stance resembles that of Antonio Tarver, displaying fine boxing fundamentals. Ocampo actually scored a knockdown towards the end of the second in a round Esparas was getting the better of it but the latter boxed well in the remaining rounds to level the scoring.
Rounding off the results of the other bouts:
Ricardo Roa winning over Nelson Cimacon by UD in their junior-flyweight bout (40-36 in all judges? scorecards);
Junnan Trinidad drawing with Louie Clarion in their bantamweight bout (39-37 for Clarion, 39-37 for Trinidad, and 38-38);
Bobby Concepcion, displaying the same punching power and moves as those of his more illustrious brother Bernabe Conception, defeated Albert Tanamor via a UD (40-36 in all judges? scorecards) in their junior-flyweight bout; and
Remy Cuambot (Jaro) defeated Ariel Cardoza via UD (40-36, 40-37, and 39-37) in their minimum-weight bout to avenge his defeat to the latter earlier in the year.
The event was presented by the TV boxing program ?In This Corner? in cooperation with the Rizal provincial government of Governor Jun Ynares, Mayor Boyer Ynares, and Joel Duavit.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Salvador Lopez.
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