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DRIAN FRANCISCO LOST, NO QUESTION By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Tue, 03 May 2011  While there are some Filipino fight fans who rightfully blasted Japanese judge Takeshi Shimakawa for his ridiculous 117-111 scorecard in favor of Thai challenger Thepparith Singwancha especially when taken against the 114-113 scorecards turned in by respected judges Francisco Martinez of New Zealand and Raul Caiz Jr of the United States, it doesn?t mean that Drian Francisco was cheated of his WBA super flyweight interim title. Frabcisco lost, no questioin especially after being dropped in the third round with a left hook and dropped again in the sixth, this time with a right hook although referee Rafael Ramos of Texas who was the third man in the ring f or the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in November 2009 ruled it a slip. Ranked No. 4 by the WBA in the flyweight division Thepparith who had a record of 16-2 with 10 knockouts went into the fight with a well thought out game-plan unlike Francisco who appeared to believe more in the hype that surrounded him than in developing a fighting style to overcome the tough Thai challenger. The result was that Francisco suffered his first defeat after 20 wins and 1 draw with 16 knockouts to his name. Well known Thai boxing writer Damrong Sinakajomboon reported that it was an ?impressive victory for the 22-year-old Thai fighter who jumped from the flyweight division in which he held two regional belts, the PABA and WBO Asia-Pacific titles.? After the first two rounds in which Francisco countered effectively, Thepparith turned the tide in the third when he became more aggressive and worked to the body with some vicious shots that clearly weakened Francisco before dropping him with a left hook to the head. Francisco fought back in round four working to thwart Thepparith?s aggressiveness with some good uppercuts but the Thai quickly retaliated in rounds five and six showing some good defense while continuing to nail Francisco with stinging body shots and combinations. Damrong reported that a right hook at the last minute of round six dropped the Filipino again but referee Ramos ruled it a slip. From round seven, the Thai fighter looked more confident, exchanging punches with the Filipino in a close affair. By most accounts Thepparith was in better physical condition and got the better of Francisco in rounds eight, ten and eleven while Francisco pulled off rounds nine and twelve but it wasn?t enough to give him the victory with the knockdown making the difference on the scorecards of Martinez and Caiz Jr. Respected boxing fan and journalist Carlos Costa of Panama who frequently visits the Philippines to watch major fights was at special ringside and reported that Thepparith, a former Muay Thai fighter, clearly won the fight and deserved the decision. He said the Thai was ?the more aggressive fighter, firing the best artillery during the twelve chapters of the war. ? Costa noted that Francisco was ?never able to mount an offensive of the same significance? as Thepparith and that the ?desire for glory and the combative thrust of the young Thai was evident and were already taking their toll on the Filipino who really had no major weapons to control his foe's combative spirit. ? Thepparith was more aggressive and effective in his attacks and more orderly as ?the fighting style of Francisco lacked elegance and orthodoxy? which we ourselves have reported many times before. Francisco was an excellent boxer in his earlier years when he was trained by former WBC and WBA flyweight champion Erbito Salavarria and reminded many of two-division world champion Luisito Espinosa in terms of style, putting combinations together and movement in the ring. Out of delicadeza Salavarria himself didn?t wish to comment on the style of Francisco which had changed considerably into that of a slugger who threw wild punches, often missing and someone who tended to showboat by dropping his hands, sticking his chin forward and throwing roundhouse punches. However, Salavarria conceded that Drian had power but unlike before he didn?t combine power with skill and technique. With his loss the much talked about title shot against Hugo Cazares has vanished and Francisco and youthful manager Elmer Anuran will have to seriously figure out what needs to be done to keep Francisco's career on track. The best way may well be to go back to the style that Drian exhibited early in his career ?that of a Luisito Espinosa. Whether it can be done after all these years and whether Francisco and Anuran are willing to do it remains to be seen. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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