ALA BOXERS WIN BEFORE SELL-OUT CROWD IN ?DUEL IN DUBAI? (PHOTOS)
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 07 Sep 2014
Before a sell-out crowd at the magnificent World Trade Center in Dubai, three of ALA boxing gym?s most exciting fighters engaged their Hispanic opponents in ring battles on the tremendously successful ?Pinoy Pride XXVII? of ALA Promotions in cooperation with the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN and the widely watched global network TFC, The Filipino Channel in ?Duel in Dubai.?
World title prospects ? super flyweight King Arthur Villanueva and super bantamweight Genesis ?Azukal? Servania kept their unbeaten records intact but not before being forced to take the fight to their opponents who seemed awed by the crowd some of whom flew in from Saudi Arabia while a few hundred had to be turned away, and the Filipino fighters unblemished record and appeared intent on survival.
Respected boxing patron Tony Aldeguer told the Manila Standard/Viva Sports ?styles make fights and we wanted opponents with solid credentials but were disappointed because they were not the aggressive fighters that we saw in their previous fight videos.?
He said Villanueva and Servania could have merely out-boxed them and won but they wanted to give our countrymen exciting fights so they had to take the fight to their opponents.
Servania down Cabrera.
Villanueva connects at Maldonado with a right.
Tit for Tat for Bautista and Martinez.
Villanueva who had Nicaragua?s rugged Henry ?El Crespo? Maldonado in trouble in the second round got too excited in wanting to give the predominantly Filipino crowd and walked into a perfect counter-punch that dropped him although it was a flash knockdown. Villanueva tried to brush off the embarrassment with a sheepish grin.
The WBO International super flyweight champion engaged the awkward Nicaraguan in some furious exchanges that resulted in Maldonado being cut on his forehead and scalp that turned his face into a mask of blood but as Villanueva?s stinging jab and right straight turned the tide beginning the 5th round and sustained the momentum with a flurry in the 10th that enabled the Filipino to score a split decision.
Maldonado?s camp had earlier questioned the assignment of Filipino judge Danrex Tapdasan and in the end his 117-110 scorecard in favor of Villanueva, despite the second round knockdown, reinforced their concerns as the two neutral judges from Thailand had it much closer with Yongsakna Songha having Villanueva the winner 116-113 and Cherdchaichanon Srichart scoring it in favor of Maldonado 114-113 with the Nicaraguan in tears in his dressing room after the fight.
Rey ?Boom Boom? Bautista fighting as a junior lightweight has always endeared fans with his aggressive style and with a packed house Bautista was dead set on going ?Boom Boom ? against highly touted Mexican slugger Juan Jose ?Piquet? Martinez who entered the ring with a fearsome record of 15 knockouts I 19 wins with only one loss.
Showing better head movement Bautista engaged Martinez in some torrid exchanges before he dropped the Mexican who seemed awed fighting for the first time outside his native land.
However, Bautista couldn?t put him away with the back-and-forth action resulting in a cut on the right eyelid of Martinez as well as that of Bautista. But a nasty clash of heads in the seventh round opened up a bloody gash on Bautista?s left eyelid and with blood streaming from both cuts, internationally respected referee Bruce McTavish on the advice of the ring physician called a halt to the contest.
Two of the three judges ? Tapdasan who had Bautista the winner 67-65 and Salven Lagumbay who also scored the fight for Bautista 68-65 enabled the popular ?Boom Boom? to earn a majority 7th round technical decision after the third Filipino judge Edward Ligas saw it as a 66-66 draw.
In the main event WBO Intercontinental super bantamweight champion Servania who is on the threshold of a world title shot retained his belt and kept his dreams with a TKO victory after tough Jose ?Matador? Cabrera refused to come out for the 10th round claiming that a nasty gash suffered on his left cheekbone was caused by a deliberate head-butt which was not the case.
We learned that Cabrera?s fight plan was to hopefully put Servania away in three or four rounds and when Servania nailed the Mexican with a terrific one-two combination in the second round, Cabrera?s game-plan was wrecked and so was his focus as he even wanted to quit at the end of the third round but was prevailed upon by his corner to keep fighting which he did, connecting with some sneaky counter-punches even as Servania was beginning to be bothered by cramps in his legs.
The sweet-punching Servania was the heavier puncher but although he buckled Cabrera?s knees a couple of times he just couldn?t take him out.
Unwilling to continue because of the nasty gash on his left cheekbone, Cabrera?s corner told referee Tapdasan that Cabrera wouldn?t continue handing Servania a 10th round TKO.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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