LAURENTE RETAINS WELTERWEIGHT TITLE WITH 12TH ROUND TKO
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 26 Mar 2012
Veteran Dennis Laurente retained his Philippine welterweight title with a sensational 12th round TKO against game challenger Eusebio Baluarte before a large crowd at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City late Sunday.
It was the main event of a fight card loaded with action-packed bouts that thrilled even guest of honor and speaker, Congressman Manny Pacquiao, the pound for pound king and WBO welterweight champion and spiced up the 12th Annual Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde awards night ?Banquet of Champions.?
Pacquiao who acted as analyst in the coverage of the fight to be telecast on The Main Event? sponsored by Cobra Energy Drink on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. on AKTV IBC 13 was himself impressed with the power of both fighters and their excellent physical condition.
Laurente won by a rather strange twist when referee Virgilio Garcia waved the fight off with barely one second remaining in the twelfth and final round and Baluarte clearly in deep trouble.
Baluarte stunned Laurente at 1:34 of the opening round when he nailed the champion with a wicked, right straight counter that sent the veteran southpaw on the seat of his pants but Laurente beat the count easily and fought his way back in the final minute of the round.
Both fighters engaged in several furious exchanges concentrating mainly on vicious body shots that in the end took its toll on Baluarte who was dropped in the twelfth and final round. Although he beat the count the challenger was clearly groggy as Laurente went after him with both hands flailing promoting referee Garcia ,unmindful that there was hardly a second remaining, to stop the fight.
With the win Laurente who has campaigned successfully in the US under MP Promotions improved his record to 40-4-5 with 23 knockouts while the game Baluarte dropped to 19-6 with 12 knockouts.
Monico Laurente scored a handy victory over tough Rey Las Pinas to win the vacant Philippine bantamweight title in which the much taller Laurente used his left jab and rapid-fire combinations to thwart the efforts of Las Pinas to get inside and work the body although he shook Laurente a couple of times with a roundhouse right.
All three judges had Laurente the winner. Danrex Tapdasan scored ot 117-111, Romy Yulo 118-112 and Virgilio Garcia 116-112 all for Laurente.
Top photo: Laurente downs Quinones in file photo.
The author with Manny Pacquiao on the TV table during last night's event.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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