Former WBC super-flyweight champion Gerry Pe?alosa toyed with game Thailander Bangsaen Sithpraprom for six rounds before unleashing his potent left straight knocking him out cold at 1: 45 of the 7th round.
The sensational KO completed a rout by the Filipino fighter-“defenders” over a squad of Thai “invaders” winning for Pe?alosa the 115-pound World Boxing Foundation (WBF) super-flyweight title.
The Philippines vs. Thailand under-card fights likewise did not reach the distance. WBO ASPAC Flyweight Champion Rexon Flores started the string of Filipino KO victories. After splitting the first two rounds with his Thai opponent, Flores knocked out Samart Twingym in the 3rd round.
Former WBC number 1 flyweight challenger Juanito Rubillar followed by knocking Yodsuk Windeesports thrice in the first round for an automatic TKO win.
WBF Int’l Flyweight Champion Sukarno Banjao successfully defended his title by knocking down Wisanu Pornobnom in the 7th round and putting him again to the canvas for good at 2;50″ in the 9th round.
WBF Int’l. Welterweight Champion Rey Pelonia sustained cuts early in the fight and had the Filipino crowd worried going into the 10th round with the taller Jakrit Thaweekoongym scoring repeatedly with his jabs and straights. However, the harder punching Pelonia knocked the Thai fighter down with a right straight to the chin towards the end of the 10th round. Pelonia finished the still groggy Thai at 16″ of the 11th round to retain his title.
Pe?alosa, 32, wrested the WBC super-flyweight crown via a split decision over Hiroshi Kawashima in Japan in 1997. He defended the title a couple of times before yielding it to In Joo Cho in Seoul. Pe?alosa was again lost in the rematch with In Joo Cho again in Korea. Japanese Masamori Tokuyama KO’d In Joo Choo to win again the title for Japan. In his second attempt to regain the title, Pe?alosa lost another controversial verdict to Tokuyama prompting the WBC to order a rematch. After the end of the twelfth round of their rematch again in Japan, Tokuyama told Pe?alosa “you won”. But the judges disagreed and awarded the fight to Tokuyama. The frustrated Pe?alosa retired at the end 2002.
The win re-opened the door towards boxing glory for Pe?alosa. His next goal is to have a unification fight with any of the other champions in the 115-pound who is brave enough to fight him. Promoter Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde, Jr. promised to help Pe?alosa obtain a unification fight for Pe?alosa next year.
The fights were personally supervised by WBF President and Director Mick Croucher of Australia.
Pe?alosa thus re-joined Manny Pacquiao as a reigning world champion. Manny himself will lead his squad of Filipino defenders to fight the December 11 wave of Thai invaders led by Fahsan 3K Battery.
