NONITO Donaire Jr. showed his old dominant form with an easy third-round stoppage of former Olympian Zsolt Bedak and kept his World Boxing Organization (WBO) super bantamweight title last night at the packed Cebu City Sports Center.
Donaire Jr. was patient and boxed well early on. In the second round, Donaire Jr. found his range and dropped Bedak with a left uppercut. He sent him to the canvas with a beautiful counter let hook to the back of the ear.
Bedak came into the third round still wobbly from the two knockdowns. Donaire Jr. continued to pressure and attack, and Bedak once again went down in the third. Referee Russel Mora stopped the fight in the 2:44 mark of the third.
Donaire Jr. improved to 37-3 with 23 knockouts, while Bedak dropped to 25-2 with eight knockouts.
While ring announcer Ted Lerner was about to get the crowd to applaud the losing fighter, Donaire grabbed the microphone from him, explaining in Cebuano that he had to grab the mike to be able to talk to the crowd, as some were starting to leave the venue.
?Daghan salamat kaninyong tanan, para ni sa inyo,? he said.
Meanwhile, Aussie prospect Paul Fleming (22-0, 14 KOs) showcased his superb technical skills and walked away with a unanimous decision over game Mexican Miguel Angel Gonzalez (22-8-1, 12 KOs) in the co-main event.
Fleming was dropped in the opening round but boxed well the whole fight to get the judges? nod and the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight crown.
The scores were 96-93, 97-92 and 97-92.
Mark Magsayo (14-0, 11 KOs) proved why he?s one of the hottest featherweight prospects in the country following a sixth round stoppage over tough former world title contender Chris Avalos (26-5, 19 KOs) in an exhilarating war.
Both fighters came out swinging, immediately trading heavy shots in the opening round.
In the second round, the 20-year-old Magsayo landed a solid left hook that wobbled Avalos. However, Avalos managed to survive by clinching and backpedalling.
Magsayo went in strong in the third and rocked Avalos with a left hook. Avalos found an opening and landed a vicious left hook that landed on the button and dropped Magsayo to the canvass.
Magsayo used the fourth round to regain his composure and in the fifth round unleashed an onslaught. He connected with a right hook that stunned Avalos and followed it with a barrage of lefts and rights. Avalos hung on and was saved by the bell.
Avalos came out of his corner still dazed and Magsayo capitalized from it and knocked him down with a series of punches.
Avalos, still dazed, stood up but Magsayo immediately pounced on him and smothered him with punches that forced referee Danrex Tapdasan to waIve off the fight in the 1:55 mark.
Magsayo passed his stiffest test and grabbed the vacant WBO International featherweight strap.
WBO No. 1 rated light welterweight Jason Pagara (38-2, 23 KOs) outclassed Mexican Miguel Zamudio (35-9-1, 21 KOs) by unanimous decision.
The scorecards read 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92.
Two-time world title challenger Rocky Fuentes (37-8-2, 21 KOs) walked away with a majority decision over tough Romnick Magos (12-6, 7 KOs)
Jeo Santisima (10-2, 9 KOs) landed a vicious left uppercut to the body that dropped Tabthong Tor Buamas (14-4, 12 KOs) in the opening round.
Virgel Vitor (7-1, 4 KOs) destroyed Paulo Pereno (3-9-1, 3 KOs) in three rounds, Christian Bacolod knocked out in a single round and Lorenz Ladrada won by unanimous decision over Renjie Sabanal (1-3-1) in the show?s curtain-raiser.
