MY sojourn to Manila was quite eventful and fruitful. Merlito Sabillo confirmed to his countrymen and served notice his potential to be a world-class fighter.
Things go by in a blur when you?re in our city?s capital, as the transition from day to night seems quite seamless- even seemingly inexistent.
Perhaps it is because Manila is festooned with big city lights that you hardly notice the change in mood, but in our case, the choice of Solaire Resort Hotel and Casino as the fight venue probably had a lot to do with it.
Showcased prominently as a posh venue for future world championship events, the celebrities and personalities at ringside only served to add gravitas to the excitement in the air.
I was also pleasantly reunited with college buddies Ramil Esguerra, Jonathan Fabricante and Bobby Bautista. The latter two were fight virgins and so I played the role of the eager host to their refreshing curiosity.
AJ BANAL. This was Bazooka?s comeback fight after his heartbreaking loss to Sor Singyu also in Manila last year and he fought well and hard in earning an RTD in the second round.
Banal wasted no time in bringing the fight to his opponent, and was getting the better of Abraham Gomez when the fight had to be stopped on several occasions due to head-butts.
Gomez also resorted to takedowns and at one point even attempted a ground and pound on the hapless AJ.
It wasn?t exactly a proud moment for pro boxing, but at least AJ got that much needed ?W? in his resume.
VILLANUEVA. ?King? Arthur showed some promise in his wildly entertaining duke-out with Mexican banger Arturo Badillo. Early on, he was dominating the fight, scoring well with jabs and straights, but Badillo found a way to close the distance and landed some serious leather of his own.
Villanueva was stunned in the third round, but he hung on valiantly and showed heart, and resiliency. He has the tendency to brawl when hurt, which can be a double-edged virtue but he demonstrated he could weather the crisis.
More seasoning of course, is in order for ?King Arthur? but so far, I liked what I saw in this 24 year old Bago City native.
MAIN EVENT. Sabillo?s aggressive style was on full display from the get-go as he wasted no time in landing his patented left straights.
Jorle Estrada seemed discombobulated by the accuracy exhibited by Sabillo and it showed when he still couldn?t get out of the way of incoming artillery until the third round.
But credit the Colombian for his grit and toughness as he hung in there to mount a mini-rally in the middle rounds as Sabillo seemed to be taking a break as his activity waned.
In the 8th, Sabillo resumed his brutal body attack and Estrada was clearly a fighter running only on fumes.
The coup de grace was a thing of beauty which eerily resembled Gerry Penalosa?s spectacular one punch knockout of Johnny Gonzales for the WBO bantamweight title in 2007.
Just as Estrada uncorked a lazy right, southpaw Sabillo who was in half crouch, weaved to his left, and unleashed a brutal eft to the exposed and unguarded right rib cage of Estrada.
The blow landed with a cracking sound and Estrada immediately crumpled, holding on to his right side, visibly in agonizing pain. He spit out his mouthpiece as referee Raul Caez Jr. administered the count.
I thought the count was evidently a superfluous act, as Estrada was clearly in no condition to continue.
ASSESMENT. Sabillo?s heavy-handed style is pleasing to the fans. His willingness to initiate the exchanges is another plus, since you rarely find knockouts in the lowest of weight classes (minimum-weight at 105 lbs.)
On defense he?s adept in slipping punches, but a glaring flaw I saw is his tendency to admire his work.
On the numerous occasions that he hurt Estrada, Sabillo seemed to wait around for the delivery receipt and he got tagged, albeit Estrada?s punches never seemed to hurt him.
Other than that, Sabillo seems to be a very promising and I can only wish him a long reign as the WBO minimum-weight champ following in the footsteps of his stable mate Donnie Nietes who held the same diadem for more than three years.
LAST ROUND. It?s on my little man, Rodan Benjamin Jericho who turns 3 this week. Cheers dude, I hope to finally meet your imaginary girlfriend!
