By Rene Bonsubre,Jr

Philippine boxing took a hard body blow in 2020. The continuing spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) forced quarantine and lockdown procedures in the Philippines and lead to the cancellation of boxing promotions and all sports activities throughout the country. Boxing returned four months ago but continues to be held behind closed doors.

But things are slowly getting back to normal. A world title fight on home soil is a sign of hope. On February 20, former WBO world champion Vic Saludar (20-4,11KO's) will face unbeaten Robert Paradero (18-0,12KO's) for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight title in Biñan, Laguna.

This match-up had already been moved twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The two were originally set last December 5 and then January 30.

This will be the third all-Filipino world title bout on local shores. In 1925, Pancho Villa beat Clever Sencio by 15 round unanimous decision to retain the world flyweight crown in Wallace Field in Manila. In 2019, Pedro Taduran stopped Samuel Salva in Taguig City for the vacant IBF world minimumweight title. Two other all-Filipino world title fights were held in the United States in 2018-Jerwin Ancajas WUD12 Jonas Sultan (IBF jr.bantamweight title) and Donnie Nietes D12 Aston Palicte (vacant WBO jr.bantamweight title).

The 30 year old Saludar, who resides in Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao, is already on his fifth day in the hotel bubble with trainer Jojo Palacios.

Palacios told this writer that their training went well and Saludar is just a pound over the contracted weight of 105 lbs. He is confident Saludar’s championship experience will pull him through.

The 25 year old Paradero, on the other hand, told this writer in a short chat that he is confident he can overcome the experience gap and beat Saludar. Paradero is also isolating in a gym. He has been inactive for almost 22 months due to the covid lockdown.

Saludar has the shorter lay-off at 14 months. He took the WBO 105 lb division title in Kobe,Japan last July 13, 2018 against Ryuya Yamanaka by unanimous decision. Last February, He beat another Japanese Masataka Taniguchi also by unanimous decision at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo in his first defense. He lost to Puerto Rican Wilfedo Mendez by unanimous verdict in San Juan,Puerto Rico.

In his first world title shot in 2015, Saludar was stopped by then WBO champ Kosei Tanaka in six rounds.

Saludar was a member of the Philippine amateur boxing team. He won a bronze medal in the light flyweight class in the 2010 Asian Games and his brother Rey won the gold in the flyweight category.

Photo- Vic Saludar (left) and Robert Paradero

​By Rene Bonsubre,Jr
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January 18 – Jhack Tepora’s scheduled defense of the WBA interim world featherweight title against Hugo Ruiz (Mexico) on the Manny Pacquiao-Adrien Broner undercard gets canceled after Tepora stepped on the scales five and a half pounds overweight.  He also got stripped of his title.

January 19 – Manny Pacquiao WUD12 Adrien Broner (USA), retains WBA world welterweight title, MGM Grand, Las Vegas,Nevada,USA.

January 31 – Aston Palicte WKO2 Jose Martinez (Puerto Rico), Viejas Casino and Resort, Alpine, California,USA. Palicte wins WBO eliminator for the right to challenge WBO junior bantamweight champion Donnie Nietes.

February 26 – Vic Saludar WUD12 Masataka Taniguchi (Japan) retains WBO world minimumweight title, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

February 28 – Donnie Nietes vacates the WBO world junior bantamweight title and bares his intention to seek bigger, more lucrative fights.

March 23 – Samuel Salva WUD12 Rene Mark Cuarto, wins IBF eliminator for mandatory challenger in the minimumweight division, Michael Dasmariñas WUD12 Kenny Demecillo, wins IBF eliminator for mandatory challenger in the bantamweight division, Resorts World Hotel, Pasay City, Philippines.

March 31 – Featherweight Renerio Arizala undergoes emergency brain surgery when he collapsed after losing his fight by sixth round TKO against Tsuyoshi Tameda (Japan) in Yokohama, Japan. He regained consciousness after the operation.

April 20 – John Riel Casimero WTKO12 Ricardo Espinoza Franco (Mexico), wins WBO interim world bantamweight title, Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California,USA.

April 26 – Josie Gabuco wins a gold medal in the women’s light flyweight category at the 2019 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Bangkok, Thailand

April 27 – Nonito Donaire KO6 Stephon Young (USA), retains WBA super world bantamweight title, Cajun Dome, Lafayette, Louisiana,USA. Donaire enters the finals of the WBSS bantamweight tournament.

May 4 – Jerwin Ancajas WTKO7 Ryuichi Funai (Japan) , retains IBF world junior bantamweight title, Stockton Arena, Stockton, California,USA.

June 19- Kazuto Ioka (Japan) WTKO10 Aston Palicte, vacant WBO world junior bantamweight world title, Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan.

July 6 – Nordine Oubaali (France) WRTD6  Arthur Villanueva, WBC bantamweight world title, Barys Arena, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

July 12 – Kenshiro Teraji (Japan) WTKO4 Jonathan Taconing, WBC junior flyweight world title, Edion Arena, Osaka, Japan.

July 20 – Manny Pacquiao WSD12 Keith Thurman (USA), wins WBA welterweight super world title, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada,USA. Pacquiao becomes the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history at the age of 40.

August 2 – Thammanoon Niyomtrong a.k.a. Knockout CP Freshmart (Thailand) WTD8 ArAr Andales, WBA world minimumweight title, Nakhon Sawan,Thailand.

August 24- John Riel Casimero WKO10 Cesar Ramirez (Mexico), retains WBO interim world bantamweight title, San Andres Sports Center,Malate, Manila. Casimero earns the right to fight WBO bantamweight champion Zolani Tete (South Africa) within 90 days.

August 24 – Vic Saludar LUD12 Wilfredo Mendez (Puerto Rico), loses WBO world minimumweight title, Centro de Convenciones, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

August 25 – Maximino Flores (Mexico) WTD7 Carlo Caesar Peñalosa, vacant IBO flyweight title, TV5 Studio, Novaliches, Quezon City, Philippines.

September 7 – Pedro Taduran WRTD4 Samuel Salva, wins vacant IBF minimumweight world title, First all-Filipino title fight held in the Philippines since 1925, Jurado Hall, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Metro Manila.

September 7 – Christian Araneta LRTD4 Daniel Valladares (Mexico) , IBF light flyweight  eliminator, Arena Jose Sulaiman, Monterey, Mexico.

September 14 – Emanuel Navarrete (Mexico) WTKO4 Juan Miguel Elorde (Philippines), WBO world junior featherweight title, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada,USA.

September 21 – Middleweight Eumir Felix Marcial wins a silver medal at the AIBA Men’s World Amateur Boxing Championships held in Ekaterinburg,Russia. He lost to Russian Bakshi Gleb in the finals by 5-0 decision.

October 13 - Nesthy Petecio wins gold in the featherweight finals of the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Amateur Boxing Championships in Russia. Petecio beat hometown bet Liudmila Vorontsova by 3:2 decision.

October 18 – Eljay Pamisa win silver in the pinweight category of the ASBC Asian Juniors Boxing Championships held in Al Fujaira,UAE. He lost to India’s Visvanath Singh 3:2 in the finals.

October 24 – Elwin Soto (Mexico) WUD12 Edward Heno , WBO light flyweight world title, Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, California,USA

November 7- Naoya Inoue (Japan) WUD12 Nonito Donaire, unifies IBF and WBA world bantamweight titles and wins the WBSS bantamweight finals,Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.

November 30 – John Riel Casimero WTKO3 Zolani Tete (South Africa), wins WBO world bantamweight title, Arena Birmingham, Birmingham,United Kingdom. Casimero wins his third world title and becomes the fourth Filipino boxer to win three or more world division titles.

December 7 – Marlon Tapales LTKO11 Ryosuke Iwasa (Japan), vacant IBF interim world junior featherweight title, Barclays Center, New York, USA

December 7 – Jerwin Ancajas WTKO6  Miguel Gonzalez (Chile) , retains IBF world junior bantamweight title, Auditorio GNP Seguros,Puebla, Mexico

December 9 – World Boxing Council appoints Nonito Donaire as the mandatory challenger for WBC bantamweight world champion Nordine Oubaali

December 9 – Philippines edges regional rival Thailand 7-5 in total gold medals won in the amateur boxing competition of the South East Asian (SEA) Games held in the Philippines

December 11 – Manny Pacquiao graduates from the University of Makati with a degree in Political Science-Local Government Administration.

December 14 – Tenkai Tsunami (Japan) WTKO8 Jessebelle Pagaduan, WBO Female world light flyweight title, Uchinoura Ginga Arena,Kagoshima,Japan

December 16 – Nkosinathi Joyi (South Africa) WUD12 Joey Canoy, vacant IBO world miniflyweight title, International Convention Center, East London, South Africa

December 23 – Kenshiro Teraji (Japan) WTKO4 Randy Petalcorin, WBC world light flyweight title, Arena Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

December 23 – Manny Pacquiao ranked number 8 among Forbes’ highest paid athletes of the decade with 435 million dollars in total earnings.


Photo – Top Row –left to right – Manny Pacquiao, John Riel Casimero, Jerwin Ancajas, Bottom Row – Left to right – Pedro Taduran, Nesthy Petecio, Nonito Donaire

​By Rene Bonsubre,Jr

Jong Seon Kang of South Korea survived an early knockdown to beat Filipino Tomjune Mangubat for the vacant WBO Oriental Youth Featherweight title in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

After a tentative start by both boxers, the 18 year old Korean was dropped by a counter hook in the second. The Filipino moved in for the kill but Kang weathered the storm and started to pressure Mangubat in the subsequent rounds.

Kang began to dictate the tempo, forcing Mangubat on the back foot. Mangubat tried to put some sanity into the situation with his long jab and one-two combos. But Kang had no trouble cutting off the ring and would rough up Mangubat every chance he got. The crowd enjoyed the heavy exchanges.

Mangubat wilted in the endgame; Kang’s pressure and volume punching sapped the Cebu-based boxer and the Korean did enough to earn the nod of two of the three judges, all from Thailand.

Mekin Sumon and Sawaeng Thaweekoon had it for Kang 96-93, Surat Soikrachang had it 95-94 for Mangubat.

This was the 22 year old Mangubat’s second career loss. He is now 11-2-1,9KO’s. He was considered a good prospect here in Cebu,Philippines simply because of his height, build and natural power. But last May, Mangubat suffered his first career loss against fellow Fiipino Arnel Baconaje in Mandaue City,Cebu for the WBC ABCO Silver featherweight belt by TKO in the eighth round. He bounced back last July with a unanimous decision victory over Joffrey Garcia in Liloan,Cebu. Kang was Mangubat’s first foreign opponent and this was also his first outing overseas.

Kang is now 10-0-2,6KO’s. He was 1W- 2D in his last three bouts but the win was for the vacant WBC Youth Intercontinental super featherweight title, which he earned by beating Chinese Qixiu Zhang by fifth round TKO in Xian,China.

This weekend was marked by a string of losses for Filipino boxers abroad. The most prominent happened in Las Vegas on the undercard of Canelo Alvarez vs Sergey Kovalev.

In a battle of high profile hard-hitting prospects – Filipino Romero Duno was decked in 1:38 seconds of the opening round by Ryan Garcia of the U.S. for the WBO NABO and WBC Silver lightweight belts.

This was the second loss for Duno (21-2,16KO’s) while Garcia remained unbeaten at 19-0,16KO’s.

In another blitz attack, Xavier Martinez of the U.S. knocked out Filipino Jessie Cris Rosales in only 21 seconds in a Las Vegas card held Friday.Filipinos Recky Dulay and Elias Joaquino also suffered losses in that same card.

Filipino Esneth Domingo did snatch a win on the Kang-Mangubat undercard but Ponciano Remandiman lost. In Japan yesterday, Filipinos KJ Natuplag and Eranio Semellano lost to heir Japanese opponents.

Photo - Jong Seon Kang of South Korea during the weigh-in