Francisco outpoints Domingo in a Fork in the Road Battle (Photos)
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 24 Sep 2011
Drian Francisco (L) connects to the head of Domingo.
Makati City ? Drian ?Gintong Kamao? Francisco engaged Michael ?Bruce Lee? Domingo in a chess match for ten rounds. Francisco?s awkwardness proved to be a bigger problem than expected for Domingo; The former WBA interim superflyweight champion piled up the points early as Domingo was content to play the waiting game.
Domingo finally got his shots in the 4th round as Francisco realized that he was in with a live opponent. At the midway point, Francisco?s power shots shook Domingo. Both fighters however showed too much mutual respect and neither took risks. Domingo tried to be more aggressive in the 6th and 7th but he could not put his punches together. Francisco proved to be a difficult target to counter.
Domingo connects to the body of Francisco.
Francisco wins by unanimous decision with Pacquiao advisor Rex 'Wakee' Salud (R) awards the trophy to Francisco.
Francisco had the lead in terms of punches landed as a cut opened on Domingo?s left eyebrow in the 8th. Domingo tried to increase his work rate but Francisco also let his hands go in the final round. The scores ? 96-93, 95-94 and 96-93 for Francisco. He is back in the win column after losing his interim title in Thailand.
Roberto ?Calibre? Gonzales came off the floor in the 6th round and won a hard earned split decision over Balweg Bangoyan. The protagonists boxed and picked their spots for the first half of the fight. Bangoyan dropped Gonzales with a well-timed hook as he was going in and tried to finish Gonzales in a spine-tingling sixth round. In the seventh round, Gonzales stormed back and pounded Bangoyan with hard one-two combinations. In the 9th, the left side of Bangoyan?s face started to swell.
Bangoyan continued to fade in the 10th as Gonzales tried to go for a knockout but the final bell rang. The scorecards read 96-93 for Bangoyan and two judges had it 95-94 and 97-93 for Gonzales.
Gonzales (L) throws a straight at Bangoyan.
The Davao hitman sends Gonzales to the canvas.
Magboo knocks out Bestudio.
Pinay beauties who serve as the night's ring girls.
Photos by Dong Secuya.
In what would be the best fight of the night, Ni?o Magboo scored a dramatic knockout win in the 8th round over Rene Bestudio. It started as a battle of feints and counters until a cut opened on Bestudio?s left eyelid in the 6th. This woke Bestudio up as he battered Magboo on the ropes. Magboo tried to clinch and hang on as Bestudio continued his onslaught. Magboo looked spent and ready for the taking, but Bestudio walked into a hard left followed by a quick right and he was out before he hit the canvas. Official time ? 2:41.
For the other undercards:
Lolito Sonsona won by unanimous decision over RomyRex Dalot. The scorecards ? 78-74, 77-75 and 78-74.
Jun Doliguez won by TKO at the 4th round against Sammy Gonzales. Doliguez? punches inflicted swellings on the left side of the face of Gonzales with his left eye almost shut and was bleeding from the mouth. The ring doctor checked on Gonzales and subsequently advised the fight stoppage.
In the opening bout of the evening, Ren-ren Tesorio knocked down Leonardo Talisic in the first round and cruised to a six round unanimous decision win. The scores ? 60-53 for all three judges. The fight billed as ?PINOY WARRIORS? was held Friday at the Makati City Coliseum.
POSTSCRIPT:
Neither Francisco (21-1-1, 16 KO?s) nor Domingo (42-16-3, 23 KO?s) could afford to lose at this stage of their careers. The 28 year old Francisco was touted as the next big thing in Pinoy boxing and another loss would have seriously damaged his credibility. Domingo, now 32 years old, was in the running for a title shot before losing in South Africa. He will be hard pressed to reclaim his status.
Domingo was the favourite of most sportswriters when we discussed our choice in this match-up days before the fight. His transformation from journeyman to contender captured the imagination of fans. But Francisco showed he was the hungrier fighter in going for this win. He also seemed mentally better prepared.
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