Tuesday, July 10, 2007 Quijano: Hail the new champs! By Jingo Quijno Last Round
A FEW columns I ago, I opined that contrary to what most boxing pundits might think, it’s the uppercut and not the left hook, which is the deadliest punch in boxing.
Last Saturday at the “KO Artists 2” boxing promotion at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel and Casino, WBO Asia Pacific minimum weight king Donnie “Ahas” Nietes, proved once again my hypothesis to be true.
Donnie had early success with overhand rights in the early stages of the bout, but his opponent, Thai challenger Saengpetch Sor Sakulran switched tactics and tried to bull rush him in the middle rounds.
Nietes’ corner made the proper adjustments and had him boxing and moving more in the middle rounds. In the eighth, a left jab set up the magnificent uppercut which deposited the hapless Thai in a heap, unable to move for a few minutes.
Donnie is clearly ready for the big stage and I would love to see him fight WBC champ Eagle Kyowa next. This early, I am applying for the intellectual property rights for the title of the boxing promotion showcasing their championship
It’s called: “Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow.”
FLAILING HAND SYNDROME. No, I am not referring to that thing that you do when somebody accuses you of having imbibed too much alcohol.
It’s what probably afflicted Thai Kongtoranee Por Surasak in his bout with Korean Young Sung Kim. Displaying a curious technique of waving and flailing his left arm to the side followed by his right, coupled with simultaneous cocking of the head from side to side, this overmatched challenger promptly got what was coming to him—a dose of a bludgeoning right hand on his exposed chin administered by the much bigger and taller Young.
GREAT PROMOTION, SPARSE CROWD. Although the event was nicely presented and organized, there were too many empty seats, and this writer could not help but notice that for a promotion headlined by a Korean boxing champ, not too many of his compatriots were there. Why, I see more of them during weekends at my favorite watering hole. C’mon guys, you can do better than that.
PINOY PRIDE. The weekend was a very fruitful one for Philippine boxing as we saw the emergence of two new world champions.
Florante Condes (22-3-1, 20KOs) dethroned Muhammad Rachman (61-6-5, 31 KOs) to win the IBF strawweight belt in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Condes who proudly carries the ring moniker “Little Pacquiao” is a diminutive southpaw from Looc, Romblon and holds wins over Elmer Gejon and Fabio Marfa. He has never been knocked out and carries dynamite power in both fists.
Not to be outdone, Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire made short work of the brash and cocky Vic Darchinyan, dominating him for four rounds before landing a left hook that ended the undefeated streak of the “Raging Bull” from Australia. He annexed the IBF flyweight belt, and became our second world champ in that one fateful weekend.
To recall, Darchinyan previously knocked out Nonito’s brother Glenn last year, breaking his jaw in the process. At that time, when presented with the prospect of fighting Nonito, Darchinyan had boasted that he was even willing to fight both of them at the same time.
JAB OF THE WEEK. “I think the key for me in tonight’s fight was every time Darchinyan threw and landed, I punched back and that got him thinking. It took the bully out of him....I’ve fought guys who were heavier than Darchinyan, so I timed my shots. He has heavy hands but my brother told me he’s not as tough as he thinks he is. I shut him up and he still wouldn’t admit in the ring after the fight that I beat him.” -Nonito Donaire (posted on fightnews.com)
THE LAST ROUND. It’s on Jasmine “Jazzy” Gorne, the lovely daughter of Ditdit and Janet, who turned 19 over the weekend. Happy Birthday and Cheers!
