FARENAS EARNS WORLD TITLE SHOT WITH DEVASTATING 8TH ROUND TKO OF DAVIS
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 03 Jul 2014
Soft spoken but hard-hitting southpaw Michael Farenas, a prot?g? of former two division world champion Gerry Penalosa has earned a world title shot with a devastatungn 8th round TKO of previously undefeated Mark ?Too Sharp? Johnson at the Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut.
Respected boxing writer Steve Kim said Farenas was ?really good tonight in dominating 'Now Dull Davis' who had no respect for him coming into this fight.?
With the win in what was billed as an IBF title eliminator Farenas who improved to 39-4-4 with 31 knockouts earned a shot at the winner of the July 10 rematch between champion Argenis Mendez of the Dominican Republic and Cuban Rances Barthelemy who fights out of Miami, Florida.
Farenas quickly earned Davis?s respect when he began aggressively and opened up a cut in the first round as he roughed up Davis.
Farenas had Freddie Roach?s Filipino assistant Marvin Somodio who had previously worked with Miguel Cotto and Ruslan Provodnikov in his corner and although Davis tried to salvage some respect with occasional flurries, Farenas battered him over the first four rounds landing some big shots while countering Davis? speed.
Farenas ripped into Davis in round five and staggered the American with some devastating shots to the body and head which included a right hook and continued his brutal assault in round six.
After the ringside physician took a long look at Davis and gave him one more round to survive, Farenas eased off a little in round seven which Steve Kim remarked was ?a stay of execution? before Farenas hammered Davis in round eight sending him reeling into a corner giving referee Steve Smoger no choice but to stop the massacre at :59 of the eighth round.
Former WBO/WBA flyweight champion Brian Viloria who trained alongside Farenas at the Wild Card Gym said Farenas was ?one of the most hardworking guys I know at the Wild Card. Great job tonight.?
An excited Gerry Penalosa in a brief conversation with the Manila Standard said ?it was a very good fight and Michael?s power really made the difference.?
On the eve of the fight Penalosa told us Farenas was ?looking good and ready to rumble? even as he added ?he is hungry for recognition and a world title.?
Penalosa?s elder brother Carl and Somodio handled the training of Farenas and were assisted by strength and conditioning coach Jay San Pedro who studied the regimen in Canada.
After blowing his chances for a world title bout when he lost to Marlon ?Rata? Aguilar of Nicaragua in Mexico on May 8, 2010, Farenas made a remarkable comeback and earned a title shot at WBA champion Takashi Uchiyama on July 7, 2012 but the fight ended in a 3rd round technical draw.
Farenas earned recognition when he was featured on the undercard of the fourth showdown between ?Fighter of the Decade? Manny Pacquiao and Mexico?s Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 8, 2012, in a clash for the WBA Interim title. Gamboa dropped Farenas twice but the courageous Filipino caught the cocky Cuban Olympian with a cracking left hook and dropped him in the 9th round but eventually lost a twelve round unanimous decision.
Farenas hammered overmatched Mexican Gerardo Zayas, dropping him three times in the opening round to win by a TKO in Austin, Texas on April 27, 2013 and in his last fight scored a 2nd round TKO over Mexican veteran Hector Velazquez to win the vacant WBC Asia Boxing Council Continental title.
Velazquez had previously lost by a 6th round TKO in a WBC International super featherweight title bout to ?Fighter of the Decade? Manny Pacquiao on September 10, 2005.
Davis was an outstanding amateur who won a gold medal at the US Junior Olympics in 2002 and several other gold medals before winning at the Eastern Olympic trials for the 2008 Olympic Games.
In his last fight Davis won a ten round unanimous decision over Carlos Vinan of Ecuador.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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