FORMER World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimumweight champion Merlito Sabillo’s woes continue after suffering his fourth straight defeat. Sabillo was stopped by ex-WBO flyweight king Sho Kimura in the second round on Saturday, Feb.15, 2020, at the Manila Arena in Manila. Kimura immediately came out the aggressor and landed some beautiful combinations to the head and body in the opening round.
He rocked the 36-year-old Sabillo with a left hook to the head. Though wobbly, Sabillo survived the onslaught. In the second round, Sabillo was beginning to find his rhythm and started to land. But Kimura timed a counter left hook that dropped Sabillo flat on the canvas and forced the referee to immediately stop the fight in the 2:16 mark. The 31-year-old Kimura bounced back from a loss to Carlos Canizales and improved to 19-3-2 with 12 knockouts, while Sabillo dropped to 27-8-1 with 13 knockouts. (EKA)