Philippine Boxing 2009.. A good year!
By Max Francis
Philippine boxing never looked so great for me. 2009 was better than 06-08, for the Filipino fighters and the Pinoy fight fans. 2009 was a remarkable one… 11-5-1 in world title fights (including lineal championships) and coupled with wins over highly regarded world class fighters…Plus a KO of the Year and maybe another Fighter of the Year award for our greatest fighter. Shop Londsdale boxing equipment for the holidays.
Last February, Donnie Nietes of the ALA stable was the first man to score a win for a world title win for the Philippines. Nietes floored Mexican challenger Erik Ramirez 4 times en route to a 12 UD, to retain his WBO 105lb title in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Last April, in the famed Araneta Colisuem, former WBC 108lb titlist Brian Viloria was back in the hearts of his countrymen and into the world title scene by halting the excellent Ulisses Solis in the 11th round by one good solid right Hawaiian punch to win the IBF Light-Flyweight title. Viloria had to go through a tough fight with the Filipino Assasin (who has wins over Bert Batawang, Rodel Mayol, and Glenn Donaire) before landing the punch that redeemed his career. It was a great fight and one of the best fights in the small weight classes. Vliloria would go on to successfully defend his title in August by a UD over Jesus Iribe in Hawaii.
On the same card, Nonito Donaire impressively defended his IBF Flweight tilte by a 4th round KO over the 24-0 Raul Martinez. So impressive was he that he was able to enter the top 10 Pound for Pound Ratings by the Ring Magazine.
On the same month, the 1st loss of the Philippines in world title bouts was inflicted by Puerto Rico’s Juan Manuel Lopez by dominating Gerry Penalosa en route to a 10th round RTD loss for the Filipino. Penalosa was game against the undefeated, bigger, younger,and stronger Juanma and was never off his feet. In the house, we were glad he was not taken down despite his age and size disadvantage. Penalosa was hard as nails. But his trainer Freddie Roach halted the bout before the 11th would begin. Gerry, again, failed at an attemp to snare the WBO 122 lb title.
Last May 3 2009, coming off from a big win over a shell of an Oscar De la Hoya, Manny Pacquiao climbed to the ring at the MGM Grand once again to defend his Pound for Pound title and as a challenger to the “Hitman” Ricky Hatton’s World Junior Welterweight championship. Hatton was percieved as the bigger and stronger man, but it was he was sent to the floor. For the first time in his career, a Pacman right hand scored a knockdown. Down goes the Mayweather Sr. trained Brit and towards the end of the opening frame, a barrage of punches by the Pacman sent the Hitman to the canvass again. In round 2, Pacquiao landed one of the most devastating and destructive punches ever thrown for Philippine boxing glory, Ricky Hatton, who was unbeaten in his weight class, was brutally knocked out. He was unconscious and the battle of the East and West was won by the East. Manny Pacquiao was the Junior Welterweight Champion of the world.
Last June, in the Miguel Cotto-Joshua Clottey bout, Rodel Mayol challenged the undefeated and highly regarded Puerto Rican Ivan Calderon in the fabled Madison Square Garden for Calderon’s Ring and WBO Light-Flyweight titles. Mayol was certainly competitive and was able to score a draw. Certainly, Calderon was not that impressive and so was Miguel Cotto who won a debated split decision over tough Ghanian Joshua Clottey to retain his WBO Welterweight title. There was a rematch between Rodel and Ivan in September later this year in Puerto Rico, with Ivan Calderon retaining his title via a 7th round TD.
Last July, Juanito Rubillar lost a world title shot again, this time against the hard hitting Mexican southpaw Giovani Segura for Segura’s WBA Light-Flyweight title via 6th round TKO in Mexico. It was the Filipino veteran’s 6th try for a world strap.
Then the month of August came, Philippines had two wins against 1 loss that month in world title bouts. Donaire and Viloria scored the wins by unanimous decisions, and the loss was due to a 7th round DQ, Bernabe Concepcion’s failed attempt at Steven Luevano’s WBO Featherweight title. Donaire had outpointed Panama’s Rafael Concepcion to snare the interim WBA Super Flyweight title. Concepcion, who had wins against an unbeaten AJ Banal and former titlist Kermin Guardia, came in overweight but the excess weight didnt win more than 6 rounds in his favor. On the undercard,Abe Concepcion was diqualified against Luevano for hitting the defending champion after the bell had rang. Concepcion would later told the media he wasnt able to hear the bell courtesy to the noise provided by the crowd. I could say Luevano was lucky to retain his title and was a good actor. Too bad, the fight was about to get started.
The month of September saw two hotly contested bouts for the WBO titles. September 4, unheralded and unknown yet unbeaten Marvin Sonsona took Jose “Carita” Lopez’s WBO Junior Bantamweight belt in a hotly contested battle between an up and coming youngster and a proven veteran in Casino Rama in Canada. Lopez was down and had point deductions and the young Filipino took his title in an exciting battle. You have to give credit to Sonsona though, considering; he was 18, it was his first world title fight, first fight outside the Philippine soil, and his first contest that took past round 5.
By the next weekend, Donnie Nietes barely kept his WBO Minimumweight title against interim champion Manuel “Chango” Vargas via a 12 round SD in Mexico. I thought Vargas was gonna get the nod since it was contested in his country, and he was more aggressive, altough his shots were blocked and slipped by Nietes. Nietes was mosty backpedaling and was trying to conserve his steam throughout the bout. But I was glad he was able to retain his title and he scored the cleaner punches anyways.
Then last month was a memorable one. Pacman strikes again.Manny Pacquiao, in the modern 17 weight classes era, became a 7 division world champion in the MGM Grand. Pacquiao defeated the 34-1 WBO Welterweight champion Miguel Cotto via an impressive 12th round TKO. The Pacman successfuly defended his Pound for Pound title and took the WBO 147lb belt in a great performance. It was his 7th world title. Among his other belts were: World Flyweight, IBF Junior Featherweight, World Featherweight, World Super Featherweight, WBC Lightweight, and World Junior Welterweight. Pacquiao floored Cotto twice, once in the 3rd by a sharp right hook and by a hard left uppercut that badly hurt Miguel in the 4th. It must be noted that Cotto was the percieved stronger bomber in the Firepower battle. Pacquiao might grab his 3rd Fighter of the Year award.
Our nation celebrated for Pacman’s historical feat.
By the next weekend, the flavor of the results were mixed. Marvin Sonsona failed to make 115lbs and was stripped off his title, and was lucky to skate a draw against a 22-7-1 Alejandro Hernandez. Marvin was not at his best, Alejandro was determined, yet the 12 round battle was a draw and the WBO Junior Bantamweight title was vacant.
On that same day, in his 5th try for a world title, it was Rodel Mayol’s happiest moment. Intentional head butt or not, Mayol defeated Edgar Sosa, who was making 10th title defense, via 2nd round TKO and captured the WBC Light-Flyweight title. It took a difficulty in making 108lbs, and a hard hitting challenger to bump Sosa off his throne. In his 1st try, Mayol lost to Eagle Kyowa via a 12 round UD (WBC 105lb) and in his 2nd try he was knocked out by Ulisses Solis in the 7th (IBF 108lb). There were assumptions that had the Filipino dynamo was at his best he would’ve grabbed both belts. Rodel fought world class fighters in Sosa and Calderon this year and this very year, he’s got a world strap around his waist. I was glad for Rodel.. But on that very day, Giovani Segura looked like to be another Filipino assasin as he kept his WBA title by halting Sonny Boy Jaro in the opening round. All of Jaro’s fights didnt get past the first this year, earlier this year in January and April he scored 1st round KO’s.
Last weekend, the last Filipino to fight for a world title scored another win and grabbed another strap for the Philippines. Johnriel Casimero floored Cesar Canchilla (who has a win against Segura) 5 times en route to an 11th round TKO win. Casimero captured the interim WBO Light-Flyweight title.
So the Philippines was 11 wins, 5 losses, 1 draw with 6 KO’s in title (inlcuding Lineal and interim) fights this year. Not only that, Filipino fighters from different stables across the country were able to score good wins this year. Rey Bautista, AJ Banal,and Czar Amonsot seems to be back on track. Jundy Maraon seems to be making his presence among Pinoy fans, Michael Domingo and Drian Francisco scored wins against Jose Navarro ( though I believe Navarro was a shell of himself) and Lorenzo Parra respectively. Cagayan de Oro’s Milan Melindo was able to defeat former IBF Minimumweight titlist Muhammad Rachman and enter the Ring’s strawweight top ten and Z Gorres, before being hit by a nightmare of a punch that lead him to the hospital, had good wins against former titlists Cruz Carbajal and Roberto Carlos Leyva. Gorres was the fighter who gave Vic Darchinyan fits before Vic sat atop the 115lb class and the one who gave a Fernando Montiel a boxing lesson in 2007.
I know there is a strong underlying fact today in boxing that with the presence of multiple belts and lack of unification battles, the champions in each weight class is somehow cheapened. The lack of unification battles and must-see showdowns today prohibits boxing to have a real distinguished Champion in each weight class somehow unlike in the 1920′s up to the 1970′s. There are too many factors.
Honestly, the presence of multiple belts and 17 weight classes today helped countries (and their fighters) amass world titles and helped in increasing their number of world champions. Regional titles in particular were of big help.
But this doesnt automatically mean, that the claims of each titlist being somehow not that strong, a fighter can’t bring HONOR to his peers, stable, and country. We Filipinos wouldve been not be happy for Pacquiao’s latest title win if that is the case….. No matter how strong a claim or not of a champion, he still gave his fans and countrymen HONOR that is never easy to acheive…….
11-5-1 in world title fights, plus wins over world class fighters, Philippine boxing never looked so good. Philippines had a great, remarkable 2009 in the sport of Boxing….
Happy Holidays everyone!!!
-Max
Related posts:
- Philippine Boxing Scene By Pj De Best Whenever people talk about the Philippine...
- Sharkies Machine Philippine PPV Wrap Up Sharkie’s Machine By Frank Gonzalez Jr. April 18, 2009 “Philippine...
- Star Boxing’s: 2009 YEAR IN REVIEW In what can only be termed as a wildly crazy,...
- My Philippine Boxing Prediction By Pj De Best Four years ago I had the...
- WBC: THE BEST BOXERS OF 2009 WBC: THE BEST BOXERS OF 2009 After a voting by...
Short URL: http://www.boxingrepublic.com/?p=7779
Posted by 
