CZAR AMONSOT fought gallantly but still came up short in his bid to give the country its third legitimate world title.
The 21-year-old Amonsot yesterday lost to defending champion Michael Katsidis of Australia via a 12-round unanimous decision in a World Boxing Organization (WBO) interim lightweight title fight at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Amonsot was later rushed to a Las Vegas hospital after a blood clot was discovered in the Tagbilaran City native’s brain.
Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Keizer, however, cleared that the small clot—termed as subdural hematoma—is not life threatening and that it is at a minimal level.
Doctors, however, still decided to confine Amonsot at the intensive care unit (ICU) of a Las Vegas hospital for more precautionary tests.
However, Keizer gave a grim opinion by stating that the bleed may be enough to force Amonsot to end what is still considered a promising boxing career.
Amonsot is scheduled to be back home Tuesday morning, although that could change depending on his development.
The southpaw Amonsot started out well by hitting Katsidis with excellent combinations and used his superior footwork in circling around the Aussie’s wild punches.
Amonsot had the upper hand up to the middle of the second round and actually staggered Katsidis with a strong right hook to the face that caused a gash on the Australian’s left eyelid.
But as Amonsot was about to let loose a follow-up, Katsidis unleashed a well-timed right straight to the jaw that floored the Filipino challenger.
Amonsot got up at the count of five and managed to survive Katsidis’s onslaught by using his decent ring movements.
From there, it was total war as both boxers engaged in a give-and-take affair with Amonsot landing more combinations and uppercuts while Katsidis countered with fewer but sturdier blows.
Amonsot floored Katsidis in the sixth round with a right hook to the face but referee Jay Nady ruled it as a slip, claiming that the Australian’s feet got entangled.
The Filipino had some fine moments when he forced Katsidis to the middle of the ring and pummelled the Australian with jabs and uppercuts Katsidis, however, managed to connect more while pushing the Filipino through the ropes most of the time.
Katsidis (23-0, 20 knockouts), who by then had severe lacerations in the left eyelid and right cheek, staggered Amonsot in the 10th round with a swinging right punch then again floored the Filipino for a second time with a barrage of shots on both sides of the head.
Amonsot (18-3-1, 10 knockouts) got up but looked spent and stayed mostly in the middle of the ring while Katsidis, sensing that the fight is already in the bag, surprisingly moved away from any harm planned by the Filipino fighter up to the 12th and final round.
Judge Ruben Garcia scored it 116-110, Patricia Morse Jarman saw it 114-112 while CJ Ross penned it 115-111 all in favor of Katsidis.
Amonsot’s manager Tony Aldeguer told BusinessMirror he was still proud of his ward’s performance.
The Philippines was on a roll lately as flyweight Nonito Donaire Jr. and minimumweight Florante Condes both won the International Boxing Federation crowns of their respective divisions.
Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao holds the fringe World Boxing Council (WBC) international super-featherweight belt that are usually contested by boxers outside of the organization’s top 10 ratings.
Early next month, two other Filipinos Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista and ex-world super-flyweight champion Gerry Pe?alosa get their world title shots against Mexican kingpins.
Bautista will engage WBO super-bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon while Pe?alosa battles WBO bantamweight ruler Jhonny Gonzalez in a pair of 12-round bouts that will headline the seven-fight, RP vs. Mexico World Cup of Boxing card on August 11 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California.
“He can’t sustain his focus on the fight but it was a good fight though,” said Aldeguer in a text message.
About a year ago, experts had given up on Amonsot after he was kicked out of the famed ALA Boxing gym in Cebu where he was caught drinking liquor inside their quarters.
The incident affected Amonsot’s career that led to a brutal first-round loss last year to previous conqueror Simson Butar Butar of Indonesia in front of a shocked Tagbilaran City crowd. Butar-Butar also scored a knockout win over Amonsot in their 2005 battle in Indonesia.
A reformed Amonsot made amends with Aldeguer and made a sterling comeback last February by winning the vacant WBO Asia Pacific lightweight belt, scoring a hard-earned 12-round split decision over Korean Da Woon Jung in Seoul.
