Tuñacao falters in second world title bid

MALCOLM Tuñacao of Mandaue City lost in his attempt to win a second world title when he was stopped by WBC bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka in the 12th and final round in a fight held last Monday (April 8) in Tokyo, Japan.

Yamanaka knocked down Tuñacao twice in the third round but the Filipino southpaw still tried to fight back. But in the 12th round, Yamanaka sent an already bloodied Tuñacao down again and Canadian referee Michael Griffin stopped the fight at the 1:57 mark to prevent Tuñacao from receiving further punishment.

The 35-year-old Tuñacao, who is based in Kobe, Japan, suffered his third career loss and dropped to 32W-3L-3D, 20 KOs.

ALA boxer and former title contender A.J. “Bazooka” Banal and former Philippine superflyweight champion Marvin Mabait worked as Tuñacao’s sparring partners in preparation for his title challenge.

Tuñacao reigned as WBC world flyweight champion from 2000 to 2001. He is also a former OPBF bantamweight champion.

The 30-year-old Yamanaka (18W-0L-2D, 13 KOs), who is also a southpaw, made the third successful defense of his title.