Old Pacquiao foe trains Amonsot

CZAR Amonsot of Bohol rejuvenated his career with a major win in Australia last Sept. 12, winning a regional crown with a third round knockout win over Steven Wills for the vacant Pan Asian Boxing Association (PABA) light welterweight title.

The 28-year-old Amonsot (24W-3L-3D, 14 KOs) is now based in New South Wales, Australia and his Aussie trainer Todd Makelim emailed this writer a video link to the bout and his thoughts about Amonsot’s win.

Filipino fight fans may remember Makelim as having fought Manny Pacquiao in 1999 and losing by third round TKO in a non-title contest in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato. Pacquiao back then was the reigning WBC world flyweight champion.

Wills was 17-1-2, 9 KOs going into this bout but could not cope up with the power of the Filipino champ.

The two southpaws engaged mostly at close quarters with Amonsot hurting Wills in the second with a punch to the temple.

Amonsot, who used to dye his hair blonde but now sports a stylish mohawk, continued punishing Wills in the third with the latter barely hanging on. A jarring right hook unloaded by the Filipino prompted the referee to halt the contest.

“I believe that the ref or his trainer should have stopped it in the 2nd round after a brutal attack that Czar bashed him corner to corner. He survived the round.” Makelim said. “I was thinking his corner would stop the fight rather then letting him come out for the 3rd to get knocked out.”

Prior to the Wills fight, Amonsot stopped Addisu Tebebu in six rounds for the Australia light welterweight title. Amonsot has a 3 win-2 draw record since relocating down under in 2010.

Amonsot is a former ALA Boxer and his most famous ring war was a losing battle against Michael Katsidis in 2007. This fight sidelined him for a year and a half but he made a successful return in 2009 by stopping Indonesian Zoel Fidal in five rounds in his home island of Bohol and two more wins after that in Cebu City.

Amonsot was one of the Filipino boxers mentioned in a series of distressing news reports last July where an Australia-based Filipino was allegedly exploiting Filipino fighters and using them as unpaid houseboys. The Australia Federal Police are still investigating the case.