Farenas gets shot at crown, stops Rios

MANILA, Philippines - Michael Farenas stayed on course for a crack at the world crown as he demolished Jesus Rios of Mexico via an emphatic second round technical knockout at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Pasay late Friday.

Farenas pummeled Rios with a flurry of punches in the second round, sending the Mexican down twice. Rios managed to beat the count at the 2:40 mark but his shaky demeanor gave the referee more than enough reason to stop the fight.

“I really wanted to score a knockout for the fans and my promoter,” said Farenas. “I felt that I could take his punches so I went all-out right in the second round.”

With the win, Farenas is hopeful that his next fight will be for a world title, preferably against WBO super featherweight champion Mikey Garcia.

In the co-main event, Dodie Boy Peñalosa Jr. kept his undefeated record with a technical decision victory over Alem Robles. The Mexican proved to be a tough challenger for the young Peñalosa but the latter did more than enough to claim the victory.

“I’m happy with his performance,” said Gerry Peñalosa, referring to his nephew. “I wanted to see him in that kind of situation.”

The twin wins capped the inaugural event of MAG Pacman Boxing International Promotions with Tobi, Boysen, CherrylumE, Siscor Mechanical Fabricators and Cooyeesan Hotel Plaza-Baguio City as chief backers.

Farenas sized up his opponent in the first round. Confident that he had Rios all figured out, the Filipino veteran threw combinations for two knockdowns that ended the night.

In the undercard, Richard Pumicpic defeated another Mexican Luis Lugo via unanimous decision in an action packed fight. Pumicpic was the aggressor throughout the fight to earn the nod of the judges.