YOUNG prospect Neil John Tabanao shocked hometown fighter Ibrahim Balla in three rounds last Saturday night at the Bendigo Stadium in Victoria, Australia.
Tabanao landed a vicious left hook that sent Balla to the canvas.
He dropped him again with a nasty uppercut. Balla stood up but he was still wobbly, forcing the referee to stop the fight in the 1:47 mark.
?I?m very happy and I thank God for the opportunity and the win,? the 22-year-old Tabanao told Sun.Star Cebu.
With the win, Tabanao improved to 13-1 with nine knockouts and claimed the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Oriental featherweight strap.
?I didn?t expect it because I expected it to go the 10 rounds. He wasn?t soft, maybe I just got lucky,? said Tabanao, who is mentored by Brix Flores.
Balla, an Australian champion, suffered the first loss of his career and dropped to 9-1 with six knockouts.
This is the biggest win of Tabanao?s career and his first regional title and could lead to him breaking into the world rankings.
?I hope to continue fighting bigger fights so that I?ll move up in the ranks,? said Tabanao. ?I need more experience to test if I?m ready to fight for a world title.?
The current titleholder of WBO featherweight division is two-time Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko.
