UNDEFEATED light flyweight prospect Mark Vicelles has showcased his much-improved punching power with an impressive fourth round knockout of Junuel Lacar in the main event of Kumbati 5, the country’s first boxing event since the outbreak of Covid-19, at the IPI Compound in Mandaue City, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020.
Vicelles knocked out Lacar with a thunderous left straight in 1:47 mark of the fourth round.
“His power improved and then he’s more accurate with his punches,” Omega Pro Sports International (OPSI) vice president Jerome Calatrava, who was very impressed with Vicelles’ performance, told SunStar Cebu.
Omega Gym head coach Jinggoy Junco also liked what he saw from Vicelles despite a 15-month hiatus.
“His punches were crisp, and he gained more power. He learned it during the lockdown. That was his assignment, to gain more power in his punches by proper positioning and balance. I was happy because he was able to execute our game plan and that he remained relaxed,” he said.
Vicelles improved to 12-0-1 with six knockouts, while Lacar dropped to 8-6-3 with six knockouts.
The 24-year-old Vicelles is currently ranked No. 10 in the World Boxing Council and No. 13 in the World Boxing Organization.
Calatrava believes that he’s close to becoming ready to challenge for a world championship and just needs a convincing win against an opponent with better credentials.
“We want somebody who will test his skills and power even more. His opponent earlier is the current Luzproba champ,” said Calatrava. “Just a few more fights and he’ll be ready. He just needs to be active.”
On the other hand, Pete Apolinar (12-1, 8 KOs) scored an impressive unanimous decision win over former world title challenger Jetro Pabustan (30-8-6, 9 KOs) in the main supporting bout.
Pabustan was supposed to be the stiffest test of Apolinar’s budding career. However, the 25-year-old featherweight prospect breezed through Pabustan and got the nod of all three judges with scores of 98-92, 96-94 and 98-92.
Meanwhile, International Boxing Federation No. 9 rated light flyweight Christian Araneta (18-1, 14 KOs) totally outclassed veteran Richard Rosales (14-13-2, 8 KOs) via unanimous decision. Araneta got the nod of all three judges with scores of 100-88 and 99-89 twice.
Promising unbeaten lightweight Carlo Bacaro (6-0, 5 KOs) stopped Jeffrey Stella (4-10-3, 4 KOs) at the start of the fourth round.
OPSI plans to stage another boxing show before the year ends, featuring six fights.
“We plan to do the 6th (installment of Kumbati). Hopefully soon, like December. We have to still study our options,” said Calatrava. “We’ll feature the same fighters (Vicelles, Apolinar, Araneta and Bacaro) plus one more fight.”
