Pinoys lose in Russia

TWO Cebuano up-and-comers will be going home empty-handed after both lost their title bids in Russia.

Roli Gasca lost via unanimous decision against unbeaten Russian Alexander Bakhtin in their 12-round fight for the vacant International Boxing Federation super bantamweight crown at the Varshavka Sky in Moscow the other day. Joseph Von Minoza lost in seven rounds to Bakhtin’s undefeated compatriot Eduard Troyanovsky in a scheduled 12-round bout for the vacant Pan Asian Boxing Association lightweight belt in the undercard.

“It was an experience that they will learn from. It was a huge adjustment for them as aside from the cold weather, they arrived the night before the weigh-in because there was a mistake on their visas by the promoter. But you have to give credit to their opponents who deserved the win. We knew it wasn’t an easy fight for both Gasca and Minoza,” ALA Promotions president Michael Aldeguer told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.

All three judges had the 31-year-old Bakhtin ahead by 118-111, 119-110 and 118-110.

With the win, Bakhtin improved to 30-0 with 11 knockouts, while the 23-year-old Gasca dropped to 19-3 with five knockouts.

Gasca, once rated highly in the world, has lost two of his last four fights. Despite the setback, Aldeguer still believes in his young ward and feels that he will bounce back from this loss.

“We have to talk to his team when they get back and see what is on his mind for us to know what he wants. He is still young and would learn from this experience,” he said.

Meanwhile, Miñoza quit on his stool going into the seventh round following a beating from Troyanovsky.

Minoza fell to 14-4 with six knockouts, while Troyanovsky upped his slate to 12-0 with nine knockouts.