Sultan dismantles Yarte: Retains RP welterweight crown; Catubay captures PBF flyweight belt

Dondon Sultan of SGG Stable kept his RP welterweight title in dominating fashion, scoring a bloody and brutal seventh round TKO win over Cesar Yarte of RWS Stable in the main event of the other night's slambang Sinulog card at the Gaisano Countrymall carpark.

In the chief support bout of the action-packed show co-presented by international promoter Sammy "Don King" Gello-ani and the US-based Stein Global Sports & Entertainment Promotions, Federico Catubay pulled off a 10-round shutout of Louie Bantigue to claim the vacant PBF flyweight crown.

Sultan set a savage tone in the match when he landed a razor-sharp right uppercut that sliced a deep cut below Yarte's left eye late in the second round. Yarte staggered Sultan in the third, but the severe swelling that almost closed his left eye took its heavy toll on him as the bout progressed.

Sultan wobbled Yarte with solid shots to the head in the fourth and fifth rounds, before eventually sending his foe into the canvass for the first time with his trademark right uppercut to the jaw in the sixth.

Yarte, badly beaten and clearly outclassed, stood up only to be at the receiving end of Sultan's unforgiving attack.

Smelling triumph, Sultan unleashed vicious combinations to floor Yarte for the second time in round seven. This time, Yarte's cornermen made a long-overdue decision to throw in the towel seeing their ward couldn't bear anymore Sultan's ruthless punishment.

So brutal and painful Yarte's defeat was that his face turned into a crimson mask and his white trunks into a pinkish hue from his blood when referee Teddy Alivio officially waved off the fight at the 1:35 mark of the seventh round.

Sultan showed huge improvement this time than his first encounter with Yarte four years ago in Surigao City where he was on the verge of losing his belt via split decision when he knocked out Yarte with a well-time right uppercut in the 12th round.

Earlier, Catubay dictated the tempo of the match in the early goings highlighted by a fifth round knockdown of Bantigue.

Bantigue rallied from eight to the 10th round, but Catubay has already piled up points enough for him to secure the win by unanimous verdict with a uniform score of 95-92.

In another exciting action, ALA Stable mainstay Robert Allanic flattened Nonoy Devilleres twice in the second and fourth round on the way to hacking out a lopsided unanimous decision victory over six heats.

It was a clean sweep by the spunky ALA Boys as Donnie Nietes, AJ Banal, and Rey Caitom also disposed off their respective foes. Nietes won by decision over Noel Veronque, Banal forced Rodel Veronque into retirement at 2:56 of the fifth round, and Caitom stopped JR Llanasa at 1:15 of the second round.

In the other matches, Noel Sungahid knocked out Jun Mala at 1:11 of the second round, Rogen Flores beat Jr Baclayo by TKO at 2:09 of the second round, the comebacking Sherwin Paro decisioned War Bartiquel, and Pedro Malco stopped Ricky Escaner at 2:48 of the second round.

Interestingly, the amiable Christine Aldeguer, whose husband Michael is son of boxing patron Antonio "Bidoy" L. Aldeguer, enjoyed a very rare opportunity to annotate the boxing card jointly covered by Viva Sports and Jemah Television.

Christine, a beauty queen, teamed up with renowned broadcaster Ronnie Nathanielsz, who invited her to do the chores as Nathanielsz's partner could not make it to the event.

Although it is a task reserved only for men who can stand the atrocity of ring war, Christine graciously accepted Nathanielsz request with confidence as she and her husband are avid boxing fanatics.

It may just mean a small thing for Christine, but surely she would take pride for the fact that she's the first ever female to annonate a boxing show on television in the country.