Philippines, 15 Feb 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


McJoe Arroyo defeats Arthur Villanueva in an injury-shortened bout


PhilBoxing.com




Previously undefeated Arthur Villanueva (27-0, 14 KOs) of the famed ALA Boxing Stable of Cebu City came up short in his attempt to become a world champion, yielding to unbeaten McJoe Arroyo (16-0, 8 KOs) of Puerto Rico by a Technical Decision in the 10th round of their scheduled twelve round championship fight.

The twenty ?six year old fighter from Bago City, Negros Occidental in the Philippines suffered a nasty cut in the 6th round from a clash of heads between the two fighters . That was not the only misfortune for the Filipino fighter in the 6th as he was deducted a point by referee Rafael Ramos for coming in with his head, after a couple of warnings.

The cut on Villanueva?s right eye became deeper as the fight extended to the 10th round, which forced Referee Ramos to stop the fight at the 2:05 mark upon the advice of the physician at ringside.

The result of the fight then went to the scorecards of the three judges at ringside and Arroyo was declared the winner of the shortened fight and the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight world title with scores of 97-32, 98-91 and 98-91.

Both fighters were very cautious in their strategy against each other, which produced a very tactical fight between the two. The lack of action in the ring was booed by the crowd at the Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso, Texas and was not appreciated by boxing scribes who commented on the fight via their social media accounts.

Villanueva was active from the opening round but he missed most of his punches in the early phase of the bout. Arroyo though was the more accurate fighter of the two despite his low volume punching. The Puerto Rican southpaw?s left hand was an effective weapon for him . Arroyo landed clean left hooks and left straights against his Filipino counterpart.

Villanueva tried to rally late after the deduction and the cut but his wound was a prime target for Arroyo?s who unloaded on it with his straight lefts. It produced further bleeding in the 10th and the ring officials decided that the fight had to be stopped.

Villanueva suffered the first loss of his career (27-1) in his debut in U.S. soil and also lost his chance to become the second world champion from his country. Currently, his stable mate Donnie Nietes is the only world title holder (WBO light flyweight) from the Philippines.

You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Cold Comfort: Tapales and Vitor Frozen Out in Moscow Heartbreaker
    By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 14 Feb 2026
  • WBC Celebrates 63 years of dedication to the sports and fighters
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 14 Feb 2026
  • BOXING STARS FROM AROUND THE WORLD LINING UP FOR 2026 HALL OF FAME WEEKEND IN "BOXING’S HOMETOWN"
    , Sat, 14 Feb 2026
  • Filipino Boxers Make Weight in Brico Santig's Valentine's Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 14 Feb 2026
  • Filipinos Vitor and Tapales Take on Russians for IBF Asia Titles in Moscow Today
    By Dong Secuya, , Fri, 13 Feb 2026
  • Manny Pacquiao Promotions Returns to Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. with a Pair of World Championship Bouts
    , Fri, 13 Feb 2026
  • IOAN CROFT AND GARAN CROFT SIGN FOR MATCHROOM BOXING AS EDDIE HEARN LOOKS AHEAD TO BRIGHT FUTURE FOR EXCITING WELSH TWINS
    , Fri, 13 Feb 2026
  • 3 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera Confirmed for Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Cinco De Mayo Weekend, Saturday May 2, in Las Vegas
    , Fri, 13 Feb 2026
  • Day One Concludes at 2026 USA Boxing International Open
    , Thu, 12 Feb 2026
  • Female Boxing GOAT Katie Taylor to be Special guest at All-N.E. Golden Gloves Thursday, Feb. 12, in Lowell, MA
    , Thu, 12 Feb 2026
  • Brandon McCarthy Signs with Wise Owl Boxing, Set to Make Noise at 135 lbs
    , Thu, 12 Feb 2026
  • Filipino Boxers Set for Action on Valentine's Day in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • Oklahoma Outplays LA Lakers, 119-110; Arrests Skid to Hold on to League Lead
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • Malaya Vibrations to play gig at 5th MFPI Mindanao Summit
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • Fight of the Night in Thailand: Ador Torres and Sairike Tuolewutayi Battle to a Thrilling Draw
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • Young Australian Benji Birchell Claims Title Win in Thailand
    , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • Tickets for the Inaugural “Mike Tyson Invitational” Amateur Fight Night on Saturday, March 14, in Las Vegas Are on Sale Now
    , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • 2026 USA Boxing Men's Elite High Performance Team and Squad Rosters Announced
    , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • IIEE, SAEP shared lead, PIChE won 3rd in a row in the PTC WED NEMO Chess
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • The Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo RETURNS! Saturday May 2, 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
    , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 9 FEBRUARY 2026: Figueroa Stops Ball in 12; Medina Outpoints Curiel; Asanau, Unal Win in Montreal
    By Eric Armit, , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • Paradero gets a rematch against Francisco
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • Carcedo wins WBA Asia South super welterweight title
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • Shark attack in Florida Marco “El Tiburón” Romero Making waves on Feb. 19
    , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • 19-1 Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga returns on February 21 to Atlantic City
    , Tue, 10 Feb 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.