PH scores sweep in Pinoy Pride XI

IT WAS A DOMINATING victory for Team Philippines in last Saturday’s Pinoy Pride XI: Philippines vs. The World at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

Team Philippines won all five matches against their visiting opponents headed by the victory of WBO Intercontinental flyweight champion Milan “El Metodico” Melindo against Mexican Juan Esquer (see separate story).

Equally impressive were the undercard victories before the main bout.

In the main supporting bout, the confident Mexican Diego “Tyson” Ledesma got knocked out by the soft-spoken Lorenzo “Thundervolt” Villanueva in just one round.

Villanueva silenced Ledesma with a barrage of staggering hooks and straights that floored the latter in the 1:17 mark of the first round.

Mhar Jun “Astig” Macahilig also scored a victory as he beat Thai veteran Kaichon Sor Vorapin via technical knockout to log his first victory against a foreign opponent.

A left hook to the body sent the Thai veteran to the canvas in the 2:01 mark of the second round.

Bacolod’s Merlito “The Tiger” Sabillo out punched Indonesian journey man Sofyan Effendi to win via unanimous decision in their action-packed, eight-round showdown.

Joseph Von Minoza also staged a lopsided win over South Korean Yoo Shin Kim in their eight-round bout.

All of the three judges scored 79-73 for Minoza.

In the preliminary bouts, Phil-Japanese Kazuya Harada impressed Filipino boxing fans after he defeated Alvin Aresgado from Siquijor by majority decision.

Harada, who is based in Bohol, showcased textbook hooks and combinations. The judges scored it 39-37, 40-38 and 38-38.

Meanwhile, Jun “Flash” Intor became one of the highlights of the night as he staged another entertaining bout against Crispin Parba.

Intor won via majority decision. The scores were 39-37, 37-34 and 38-38. Mark Acub knocked out Samuel Galinato in the first round of their match while Jicky Gaco won over Ivor Lastrilla by technical decision. /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL