Philippine Boxing Federation featherweight champion Caesar Amonsot further fanned the festive mood of his paisanos (townmates) as he scored a fantastic first round knockout of Ramil Cabillo in the main attraction of Bohol’s Sandugo Festival boxing extravaganza the other night at the Tagbilaran City Tourist Port.
Amonsot, fighting out of the famed ALA Boxing Stable, used a punishing combination of left uppercut and right hook to the head to send Cabillo slumping on the pavement for good at the 2:49 mark of the opening session, cutting short their non-title bout scheduled for 10 rounds. Thus, the Tagbilaran City-native ring sensation, who is ranked No.9 featherweight contender by the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) and No.4 by the Pan-Asia Boxing Federation (PABA), improved his win-loss-draw record to 11-1-1 now packed with eight knockouts.
Also, fellow Boholanos Isidro Balabat and John Carlos did not let their hometown fans down by pulling off similarly impressive victories via stoppage over their respective foes from Cagayan de Oro City.
Balabat tamed Abdul Simo by third round TKO, while Carlos came up with fine first round knockout of Abner Llanasa.
The biggest stunner of the night, however, came when Rasheed Bacus, a member of the New ALA Boys Batch 2004, tasted the bitterness of defeat for the first time at the hands of Emmanuel Baguio in only his second professional bout. He fought to a draw in his pro debut two months ago.
In the other match, Jason Geda triumphed over CDO’s Rolando Baclayo via unanimous decision.
The exciting fisticuffs was sponsored by the Bohol Sandugo Foundation, Inc. in partnership with the city government of Tagbilaran under the leadership of its sports-minded mayor Dan Neri Lim and the provincial government of Bohol.
The Sandugo Festival is being held by the Boholanos to commemorate the famous Blood Compact – one of the most important historical events etched in the annals in the Philippine history – between native chieftain Datu Sikatuna and Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legaspi
In that historic event, which took place on March 16, 1565 at an unpretentious coast of Bool, now a district of Tagbilaran, the two leaders drank the mixture of their blood to the common cause – friendship.It was the first international treaty of friendship and comity between the Filipinos and Spaniards.
