Manny out to regain crown PRO Boxing Yearender (Last of 2 Parts)

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao is out to regain the WBO welterweight title against defending champion Timothy Bradley in a 12-round rubber match in Las Vegas on April 9 while Jetro Pabustan attempts to wrest the WBO bantamweight crown from Pungulang Sor Singyu in Noei, Thailand, on Jan. 15 and WBO superbantamweight ruler Nonito Donaire Jr. will stake his belt against a still-to-be-determined opponent at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on April 23 as the New Year unfolds with three Filipinos so far booked to figure in world championship fights.

2015 ended with four Filipinos holding world titles and a dismal win-loss record of 6-12-1 for Filipinos in world championship fights. The Filipino world champions are WBO lightflyweight king Donnie Nietes (accounting for three wins) and Donaire, interim WBA lightflyweight titlist Randy Petalcorin and IBO lightflyweight belt-holder Rey Loreto with a win apiece.

The 12 Filipinos who lost in world title fights in 2015 were Pacquiao, Jeffrey Galero, Jerry Tomogdan, Brian Viloria, Warlito Parrenas, Rommel Asenjo, Roli Gasca, Renz Rosia, Arthur Villanueva, John Riel Casimero, Milan Melindo and Vic Saludar. Parrenas was in another world title fight, holding David Carmona to a split 12-round draw for the interim WBO superflyweight crown in Sonora last July.

Pacquiao suffered a tear in the rotator cuff of his right shoulder in the fourth round and couldn’t throw his usual combinations as a result in losing a unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather in a WBC/WBA/WBO welterweight unification duel in Las Vegas last May. Mayweather was a disappointment in the bout and fans booed his lackadaisical attitude. He was evasive and didn’t risk a prolonged exchange, showing too much respect for Pacquiao’s power despite the Filipino’s handicap. But Mayweather kept his unbeaten record intact and shoulder-rolled his way to the bank with a hefty paycheck of at least $240 Million.

The last Filipino to lose in a world title fight was Saludar who was knocked out with a left hook to the body by unbeaten WBO minimumweight champion Kosei Tanaka in Nagoya last Thursday. Saludar, 25, dropped Tanaka in the fifth round and seemed to be in control when a shot to the rib cage ended his dream. Two of the three judges hadn’t given a single round to Tanaka when it ended. Lynn Carter and Zoltan Enyedi saw it both 50-44 while Levi Martinez, 49-45. Saludar was on the way to victory when a single punch turned it around for Tanaka. The setback dropped Saludar’s record to 11-2, with 9 KOs. Tanaka, 20, improved to 6-0, with 3 KOs.

Parrenas, 32, was knocked out in two rounds by WBO superflyweight champion Naoya Inoue in Tokyo last Tuesday. Parrenas never laid a glove on Inoue who at 22, is 10 years younger. Inoue raised his record to 9-0, with 8 KOs. Parrenas, a Cadiz City native, posted a 6-1 record while based in Japan in 2011-12, fighting for manager Hiroshi Katsumata. The loss dipped his slate to 24-7-1, with 21 KOs.

WBC minimumweight champion Wanheng Menayothin of Thailand repulsed two Filipino challengers. In February, he outpointed Galero in Nakhon Sawan with two judges scoring a shutout 120-109 and the other, 119-109. It was Galero’s first pro setback and he has since bounced back to register two straight stoppages in raising his record to 13-1, with 7 KOs. In June, Wanheng halted Tomogdan in nine rounds in Bangkok. 

Viloria, 35, was stopped in the ninth round by Nicaragua’s Roman (Chocolatito) Gonzalez in a WBC flyweight title bout at Madison Square Garden in New York City last Oct. 17. Viloria was floored in the third round but stayed on his feet until the referee stepped in. The Hawaiian Punch has held the WBC/IBF lightflyweight and WBA/WBO flyweight crowns.

Asenjo was knocked out in three rounds by WBO/WBA flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico in Merida last March. Asenjo, 27, was coming off six wins in a row, four inside the distance, when he ran into Estrada. Asenjo’s right eye was swollen shut and his corner threw in the towel with 43 seconds left in the third. The Pigkawayan, Cotabato del Norte, southpaw has since won two fights to improve his record to 28-4, with 20 KOs.

Gasca, 26, was halted by IBO featherweight champion Lusanda Komanisi in the third round of a rematch in Eastern Cape, South Africa, last October. They previously battled in December 2014 with Komanisi taking a split decision. Gasca has now lost three of his last four outings with the three defeats in South Africa.

Rosia, 27, was drubbed by IBO flyweight ruler Moruti Mthalane via a ninth round knockout in Durban last Dec. 12. Rosia’s manager Ryan Gabriel later said Mthalana’e trainer Nick Durandt pulled out a gun during the rules meeting the day before the fight and accused him of intimidating tactics. In April, Rosia lost to Makazole Tete on a majority decision in an IBO Intercontinental flyweight title fight in East London with the scores 115-113 twice for the South African and 114-all. 

In the IBF, three Filipinos failed in bids to win world titles. In May, Melindo lost to Mexico’s IBF lightflyweight champion Javier Mendoza on a sixth round technical decision in Baja California. Mendoza suffered a cut over his left eye due to an accidental headbutt and was ruled unfit to continue. Melindo was docked two points for low blows but the deductions had no bearing on the outcome as two judges scored it a shutout, 60-52 and a third saw it 59-53 when referee Gerard White halted the proceedings.

In June, Casimero yielded a unanimous 12-round decision to IBF flyweight champion Amnat Ruenroeng in Bangkok. Casimero, the former IBF lightflyweight titleholder, failed to dethrone Amnat in the Thai’s fourth title defense. The scores were relatively tight, 113-112, 115-110 and 116-110 but Amnat, who won the vacant IBF title on a decision over Filipino Rocky Fuentes in 2014, wouldn’t be denied a victory before an adoring homecrowd. Amnat has a record of 17-0, with 5 KOs and three of his most celebrated victims are McWilliams Arroyo of Puerto Rico, Zou Shiming of China and Kazuto Ioka of Japan. 

In July, Villanueva lost a 10th round technical decision to McJoe Arroyo for the vacant IBF superflyweight crown in El Paso, Texas. It was a battle of undefeated fighters. Villanueva, 26, suffered a cut over the right eye due to an accidental headbutt for which he got a point deduction in the sixth. Referee Rafael Ramos stepped in at 2:05 of the 10th to stop it with Villanueva unable to continue because of the cut. It went to the scorecards and the three judges saw it for Arroyo, 98-91 twice and 97-92.