Sonsona decks rival in 5th round

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines – Though still working to get back to his old shape, former WBO world super flyweight champion Marvin Sonsona pounded out a remarkable win Saturday night, staying on the right track in pursuit of another world crown.  

Sonsona hit Dominican Republic’s Carlos Fulgencio with a right cross then a left uppercut, sending the latter to the canvas in the fifth round of their scheduled 10-round non-title bout at the Hoops Dome here.

Fulgencio took time to recover but when he tried to get up at the count of nine, he was waived off by referee Tony Pesons to the cheers from the hometown crowd.

“I’m quicker now but still not yet in my old fighting shape. I think I’m just 70 percent back,” said Sonsona after scoring a follow-up to his win over Mexican foe Carlos Jacobo last October.

“I will continue training. I’ll really be serious in my comeback bid,” added Sonsona, set to climb back to the ring in May before undergoing a rigid training in Sampson Lewkowicz’ camp in Oxnard, Californa.

Froilan Saludar pulled off a unanimous decision over Mexican challenger Alejandro Morales to retain his WBO world youth flyweight championship in the other main event of the Pinoy Knockout fight card presented by SGG Promotions, Sampson Boxing LLC and AKTV.

Mark Anthony Geraldo stripped Jerwin Ancajas of the WBO Asia-Pacific youth superflyweight championship while Adones Cabalquinto beat Dan Nazareno for the vacant Philippine junior welterweight title.

The Cabalquinto-Nazareno bout turned out to be the fight of the night as the two fierce warriors figured in a virtual brawl.

The fights will be replayed on AKTV tomorrow night.

Sonsona punished Fulgencio with body shots before sneaking in with his knockout combination to improve his fight record to 16 wins, one draw and one loss.

The 22-year-old Filipino stopped his wiry Dominican Republic rival in 1:41 of the fifth.

Fulgencio, a cocky fighter with a win-loss-draw record of 19-5-1 before the bout, expressed disappointment after he was waived off by the referee.

“He’s dazed. Even if I let him continue, he’ll fall,” said Pesons.

Sonsona dominated Fulgencio from the start, repeatedly digging his foreign rival in the body.

Yet, Fulgencio showed his cockiness as he played with the crowd in the first three rounds.

After Sonsona threw a volume of punches in the third, Fulgencio shook his head as if to suggest: “No, you’re not hurting me.”

Fulgencio continued to showboat in the next round, playing with Sonsona’s corner.

Then came Sonsona’s jarring right cross and left uppercut that dropped Fulgencio like a log in the fifth.