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Movement of Active Apostolic
Donaire Jr. drops Reymart Gaballo with body shot to retain WBC title
CARSON, California - Filipino American Nonito Donaire Jr. showed his class in knocking out fellow Filipino Reymart Gaballo to retain his World Boxing Council bantamweight belt last Saturday at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Gaballo was the mandatory challenger to Donaire, who was making the fi rst defense of the WBC belt that he won in May from France’s Nordine Oubaali.
Gaballo opened the contest throwing sharp jabs and right straights to the head and body. Donaire was patient, throwing calculated punches as he seemingly tried to read what his fellow Filipino had to off er.
Donaire started to press in round two but neither landed telling blows yet. They exchanged leather in round three with both fi ghters having moments of their own. Donaire then started to sit on his punches more in round 4.
As Gaballo opened up during an exchange, Donaire unloaded a left hook to the body that reduced the challenger to a knee Gaballo tried to beat the count but went back to a knee due to excruciating pain, earning the 39-year-old a knockout victory.
Donaire won via fourth round stoppage, as he landed a crushing body blow with his left hand that forced Gaballo to take a knee.
The 25-year-old Gaballo tried to beat the count but had to kneel again, grimacing in pain. The referee waved the fi ght off , and Donaire quickly celebrated before checking on his compatriot.
Donaire improved his record to 42-6 with 28 knockouts, recording a second consecutive stoppage win. Meanwhile, it was the fi rst loss of Gaballo’s career against 24 wins with 20 knockouts. Retired boxing champions were all praises for Nonito Donaire Jr. after his impressive defense of the WBC bantamweight crown by way of a fourth-round stoppage of fellow Filipino challenger Reymart Gaballo.
“Old and wise, I think Nonito has still what it takes to remain in the spotlight with the proper game plans and the right discipline,” Cagayan de Oro-based Rene Barrientos, the oldest world boxing champion alive at 79, said of the oldest active world champion Donaire in the company of fellow 39-year-old Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan.
“I was also nearing 40 in my last victorious fi ght, but that was a non-title and I sensed that my body had already little resistance to absorb power punch,” added Barrientos. “Maybe a more disciplined Donaire can keep fi ghting for some more years.”
Former amateur boxer Roberto “Bobby” Jalnaiz agreed that Donaire still has some tricks left up his sleeves.
“Had they fought, even Johnriel Casimero would have experienced a hard time against Donaire who’s still looking fi t and sharp at his age,” said Jalnaiz, the country’s lone gold medalist in the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, after watching the fi ght live on TV at his Long Beach, California house.
Cebuano’s Gerry Peñalosa, erstwhile two-division world champion, was right on target when he predicted earlier that Gaballo’s only chance of winning is if he managed to go the full distance in the 12-round all-Filipino title showdown.
“Of course, Nonito knew better that he has to get the job done early or he will be in jeopardy against the young and unbeaten Gaballo. He just proved that he’s on a diff erent level,” Peñalosa said.
Marlon Tapales, meanwhile, reintroduced himself to the international stage with a devastating second-round knockout of Hiroaki Teshigawara in their IBF super featherweight title eliminator.
Showing the form and power that made him the 2016 World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion, Tapales caught the Japanese with a barrage of heavy punches for a standing 8-count.
Tapales, one of the stars of Sanman Promotions headed by JC Manangquil, again cornered the taller Teshigawara and unloaded more solid blows that dropped the Japanese anew but got saved by the bell.
Not about to waste the chance, Tapales went on full assault again early in the second round and knocked Teshigawara out with another fl urry capped by a wicked right.
The 29-year-old Tapales, now being trained by Ernel Fontanilla with assistance from Lucas Sugar, raised his record to 35-3 with 18 knockouts while Teshigawara, who entered the ring riding a string of 6 knockouts, skidded to 22-3-2 with 15 knockouts.
Tapales earned a crack at WBA/IBF titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev and this could happen in either February or March, according to MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions head Sean Gibbons in the post-bout conference.
QUEZON CITY – The House of Representatives adopted a resolution calling for the safe resumption of school sports trainings and the conduct of athletic competitions.
During the plenary session, the chamber passed House Resolution 2275, which urges the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Department of Health, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Department of Education to allow the resumption of school sports training activities and competitions so that student athletes who could potentially bring honor and award to the country in the future can continue to enhance their skills under prescribed health and safety protocols.
The resolution states that the Covid-19 restrictions have severely disrupted the conduct of all forms of physical activities and sports training programs of student athletes in the Philippines.
“It is vital for the country’s young athletes to be able to train in the proper venues, so they can keep themselves physically fit and thus perform optimally even as they strictly comply with health protocols and other safety measures,” the resolution read.
The resolution stressed the need to inoculate student athletes as it is a critical step in mitigating the spread of Covid-19 and minimizing any disruption to learning and sorting activities.
According to the resolution, health and safety protocols and other guidelines for the resumption of school sports trainings, competitions, and collegiate athletic leagues shall include the following: Covid-19 vaccination, pre-entry preparations, pre-event and intra event testing guidelines, billeting health protocols, training venue health protocol, retrofitting of sports facilities and communal areas, management of symptomatic or suspected individuals.
The resolution noted that the resumption of sports training and competitions under a bubbletype facility shall be permitted.
