WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) light flyweight champion Rodel “Batang Mandaue” Mayol retained his crown after a controversial world championship bout with Mexican veteran Omar “Giant Killer” Niño Romero, ended in a technical draw yesterday at the Coliseo Olimpico de la UG in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
The fight was declared a technical draw in the third round after the rugged Romero hit a defenseless Mayol with a thunderous left hook that sent the Filipino world champion to the canvass unconscious.
Romero, 33, tagged Mayol with a low blow then as referee Vic Drakulich was coming in to separate the fighters and warn the Mexican former world titleholder of the foul, Romero immediately followed up with a powerful left to the jaw of Mayol, who had his hands down because of the pain of the low blow.
Technical draw
Initially, the one-time WBC light flyweight titlist Romero thought that he had won the fight by KO but the officials headed by WBC vice-president Mauricio Sulaiman declared the bout a technical draw.
Mayol was brought out of the ring on a stretcher and was sent to the Military Regional Hospital for precautionary measures.
The 28-year-old Mayol now possesses a record of 26-4-2 with 20 KO’s while WBC No.1 Romero is 28-3-2 with 11 KO’s.
Meanwhile, at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon Puerto Rico, Wilfredo “WV2” Vazquez Jr. followed the footsteps of his legendary father, Wilfredo Vazquez, as he demolished 19-year-old former world champion “Marvelous” Marvin Sonsona in their World Boxing Organization (WBO) super bantamweight title bout.
First career loss
Vazquez Jr., 25, handed Sonsona his first career defeat and clinched the vacant WBO super bantamweight strap, relinquished by Puerto Rican star Juan Manuel Lopez, by stopping the Filipino youngster with a devastating left hook to the body.
Vazquez Jr. tagged Sonsona, who was pinned to the ropes, with a two-punch combination to the head then unleashed a powerful body shot that sent the ex-WBO super flyweight titleholder to the canvass in 2:01 mark of the fourth round.
The bulkier but shorter Vazquez Jr. remained undefeated with a record of 18-0-1 with 15 KO’s while Sonsona, a native of Gen. Santos City, fell to 14-1-1 with 12 KO’s.
The Vazquezes became the first father and son boxers to become world champions coming out of Puerto Rico while Sosona failed his bid to become the youngest fighter to win two different world titles.