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Disturbing, Eyebrow-Raising Happenings Involving Filipino Boxers By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Wed, 23 Apr 2025  My attention was caught by developments Involving prominent Filipino fighters that I find disturbing and eyebrow raising. Palicte- From World Beater to Trialhorse. Let us start with the continued use of Aston Palicte as trial horse by contracting foreign boxing promoters abroad which I find already excessively exploitative to the point that such could pose danger to Palicte's health and even life. In the context of boxing and other fight sports, a trial horse is a perceived weaker opponent chosen to gauge the readiness of younger prospects for the next level of competition. It's saddening but true, Aston has gone down from being a top world title contender to the level of a trial horse over time, from 2017 to recent years. Palicte in his prime fought Donnie Nietes to a draw in the first all Filipino world title bout in September 2018 for the then vacant WBO super flyweight belt. He earned the right to vie for the crown after knocking out Mexican Jose Rodriguez for the NABO title. The fight versus Nietes held in the US was scored draw by a seemingly disinterested all-American panel of judges. Nietes proceeded to eventually win the vacant WBO title by outpointing Japanese Kazuto Ioka in Macau. The WBO then ordered Nietes to make his first defense against Palicte. Aston remained in contention after knocking out another Mexican Jose Martinez in an eliminator. Martinez had drawn twice against Santiago Barrios who would later beat Nonito Donaire for the WBC bantamweight title. But instead of heeding the order, Nietes vacated the belt than fight again a fellow Filipino he believed he had already beaten in their first fight. The WBO then ordered Palicte and Ioka to fight for the crown left by Nietes. Ioka proceeded to beat Palicte by 6th round TKO in their title bout held in Japan in June 2019 which Palicte and many fans thought was stopped too early by the referee. Dejected, Palicte returned to the Philippines but in his comeback fight, he was upset by a ringwise Renz Rosia, himself already a gatekeeper, another derogatory level in boxing. Having difficulty keeping the super flyweight limit, Palicte moved up to the bantamweights and scored three straight wins against local opponents during the pandemic period thus putting him back to winning ways and boosting his fight record. With this impressive ring record and his past reputation and credentials as world class fighter, Palicte found himself ranged against Australian bantamweight Jason Moloney in a sort of world title eliminator in Melbourne in June 2022. Moloney proved too strong for the taller 5-9 Palicte and won by third-round TKO to put himself in contention for another try at world bantamweight crown. The loss instead of diminishing Aston at the weight class surprisingly even made him a sort of a division gatekeeper and the following year, he was offered a fight in the US against a young prospect by the name of Jose Reyes Salas (12-0-0, 10 KOs). In a super bantamweight bout held at T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Palicte lasted a round longer in losing by fourth round TKO to Salas. By then clearly already a trial horse, Palicte got another offer to fight and test undefeated US-based Japanese bantamweight fighter Kasuma Akitsugi (11-0-0, 2KOs) at the Probox TV Events Center in Plant City, California last December. Palicte tested Akitsugi for five rounds but got stopped in the sixth for his third straight TKO loss in as many bouts. Just this weekend, April 19, 2025, Palicte was ranged against another young unbeaten bantamweight prospect Anthony Garnica (12-0-1, 7KOs) at the Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California. After two one-sided rounds of beating, Aston succumbed to third round stoppage. It was his fourth straight stoppage defeat in as many bouts. Without doubt, the earnings from overseas fights are much, much more and therefore irresistible, but how many more bouts and stoppage losses before someone tells Aston Palicte that enough is enough? Next time I will discuss developments Involving prominent Filipino fighters that I find eyebrow-raising. Stay tuned. Photo: Aston Palicte (L) is being counted by Referee Gerard White when the Filipino hits the canvas in second round against up and coming American boxer Anthony Garnica on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in Long Beach, California. The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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