So much for the drama of the World Cup.
Boxers from the Philippines claimed the coveted team trophy Saturday night in rapid and convincing style at Arco Arena by winning the first five of their six bouts against Mexico, including a stunning upset in one of the two title matches.
Only World Boxing Organization junior-featherweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon (32-1, 29 knockouts) prevented an embarrassing sweep with a first-round knockout of Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista (23-1, 17 KOs) in the main event.
“I was watching the other fights in my dressing room,” said Ponce De Leon of the building landslide against the defending Cup champions. “Finally, I turned off the TV so I could concentrate on my fight.”
And concentrate De Leon, 121, did, delivering one punishing blow after another, depositing Bautista, 121, on the canvas twice from power left hands. After the second knockdown, local referee Jon Schorle didn’t bother to start a count and halted the fight just 2:30 after it began.
Shocking the announced crowd of 4,469 in the companion title fight, veteran Gerry Penalosa, decisioned by Ponce De Leon in March and urged to retire, dethroned Jhonny Gonz?lez with knockout at 2:45 of the seventh round to win the WBO bantamweight belt.
Ducking under an overhand right, the 35-year-old Penalosa (52-6-2, 35 KOs), a former junior-bantamweight champion, put Gonz?lez (34-6, 29 KOs) down with a counter left to the liver.
Upon taking the decisive punch, Gonz?lez, 116, first took a few steps backward, then slumped on his hands and knees, making no attempt to beat the 10-count of referee Pat Russell.
“I’m so happy, I don’t know what to say,” said Penalosa, 117, of finishing off his boastful 26-year-old opponent, who was leading on two of the judges’ scorecards.
With trainer Freddie Roach working the corner of each of its fighters, the Philippines clinched the Cup early by winning all four of its undercard bouts.
The fourth victory came courtesy of Z Gorres (27-2-1, 15 KOs). In doing so, Gorres, 114, also won the International Boxing Federation Intercontinental junior-bantamweight title with a technical knockout at 2:15 of the eighth round against Mexico’s former junior-flyweight champion Eric Ort?z (26-7-1, 17 KOs).
The fight was stopped by the referee on the advice of the ring doctor after Ort?z, 115, suffered a huge lump on his forehead and a cut eye.
The first three Philippine wins were highlighted by a riveting third-round knockout victory by 18-year-old junior-bantamweight prospect A. J. Banal over Jorge Cardenas.
Banal (14-0-1, 11 KOs), eluding a left hook, landed a counter right to the chin of Cardenas (9-4-3, 6 KOs), who went down on his back, rolled over, and spit out his mouthpiece. As he struggled to regain his feet, he saw the referee stop the count and wave an end to the scheduled six-rounder 38 seconds into the third.
As Banal, 115, celebrated, Cardenas, 114, was removed from the ring by stretcher, although his handlers said it was because of an ankle injured during the knockdown.
Earlier, bantamweight Diosdado Gabi (30-3-1) won all eight rounds by 80-72 scores from the three judges against Jos? Beranza (30-10-2) in their 118-pound bout.
Junior featherweight Michael Domingo (32-14-2), 121, also was credited with a shutout, by 60-54 scores, in handing Miguel Roman (22-1), 123, his first defeat in their six-rounder, although the bout seemed much closer.
In the final fight on the Golden Boy Promotions card of Oscar De La Hoya, Sacramento middleweight Brandon Gonzales (2-0), 160, registered his second knockout win with a quick first-round stoppage of Angel Polanco (1-5), 161, of Rio Grande City, Texas.
