Pinoy Boxers Champ

Donaire retains titles; Viloria wins one
Manila Standard
20 April 2009 | 11:00 PM

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

FILIPINOS Nonito Donaire and Brian Viloria lived up to their The Flash and The Furious titles when they scored spectacular victories before some 8,000 fight fans at the Araneta Coliseum late Sunday morning.

Recognized as The Filipino Flash, Donaire (21-1, 14 KOs) kept his International Boxing Federation and International Boxing Organization flyweight titles. Viloria (25-2, 15 KOs) The Furious, the former World Boxing Council light flyweight champion who lost the title during a run of disappointing performances, won the IBF crown this time.

Viloria didnt let his fans down when he scored a one-punch knockout of longtime IBF champion Ulises Solis (28-2-2, 20 KOs), who was making his ninth title defense. Solis string of wins had included those against Filipino challengers Rodel Mayol (TKO, 8th round), Bert Batawang (TKO, 9th), and Glenn Donaire (a lopsided unanimous decision).

In a pre-fight interview, Viloria had predicted that all streaks must come to an end, and this one will end on Sunday.

He kept his word by taking the fight to Solis from the opening bell. He staggered Solis in the opening round with a right and clipped him with combinations in the second.

Referee Bruce McTavish deducted a point for a clear low blow by the Mexican in Round 3. And as Solis caught Viloria with another low blow in Round 5 in between a couple of other similar infractions, he deducted another point.

Solis began to get in some good body and head shots and appeared to be fighting back in the middle rounds.

But Viloria jolted the champions head back with a right uppercut in Round 4 and hurt Solis once again with his right in the fifth, when the champion was also cut above the right eye. That forced McTavish to have the ringside physician take a look, but then allowed the fight to continue.

As Viloria appeared to be tiring, Solis sapped his energy with body shots and occasional roundhouse rights, but a three-punch flurry from the Filipino and a looping left at the end of Round 8 stopped Solis in his tracks.

Riding the crest of a second wind, Viloria sent showers of sweat flying off Solis head with another series of punches in Round 9. He then drove the champion to the ropes and hammered him with a five-punch combination before Solis, like a true champion, retaliated with a flurry of his own.

Ahead on points and regaining the momentum, Viloria picked his moments and drew Solis in before nailing him with a right hook. It was the same punch that he had used to knock out Eric Ortiz in the first round on Sept. 10, 2005, the same punch that helped him regain the world titlethe IBF belt this timeas referee McTavish counted Solis out at 2:56 of the 11th round.

Donaires showdown with the undefeated Raul Cobra Martinez, who suffered his first knockout, was less fierce but technically exquisite as the Filipino retained his IBF/IBO flyweight titles without a sweat.

Donaire hurt his left hand when he dropped Martinez four times en route to a TKO at 2:42 of Round 4, but referee Pete Podgorski decided to protect the fighter from San Antonio, Texas, to let him fight another day. He was up in a flash after being sent sprawling to the canvas by a left, but it was clear that Donaire had completely dominated him, prompting the referee to call a halt to the fight.

Donaire unloaded two left hooks in Round 1 and dropped the challenger twice. He then sent Martinez crashing to the canvas once again in Round 2 before switching to a southpaw style, reminding veteran fight fans of the late great Hall of Famer Gabriel Flash Elorde, who won the world junior lightweight title in March 1960 before 30,000 fans at the inauguration of the same Araneta Coliseum.

On the undercard, minimum weight Denver Cuello won the vacant WBC International title with a fourth-round knockout of Japans no. 5 ranked Hiroshi Matusmoto after decking him in the third round.

Light flyweight Sonny Boy Jaro needed just 74 seconds to annihilate former world title challenger Eriberto Yukka Gejon. Super flyweight Drian Francisco ended the misery of an overmatched Sahril Fabanya with a left hook to the body at 1:30 of the second round.

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