Controversial Agbeko-Mares fight via Bigtime Bakbakan on AKTV on IBC

Pinoy boxing fans get a chance to watch the hugely controversial IBF bantamweight title fight  between Abner Mares and Joseph Agbeko which Mares won by a split decision and where referee Russel Mora came under bitter criticism for his failure to penalize Mares for several patently low blows.

The fight which took place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas can be seen on Sunday on AKTV on IBC channel 13 starting at 7 pm.

Showtime commentator Al Bernstein called Mora’s performance in the ring “the most disgraceful performance of a referee that I have seen in the past 15 years.”

WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire branded Mora who refereed his fight against Fernando Montiel when he allowed the Mexican to continue after he was dropped and was in no condition to go on, “a horrible referee.”

Donaire said he was ready to face Mares if rival promoters Top Rank and Golden Boy “want to make it happen I’m always ready to fight him. I don’t mind whoever they put in front of me. If they want to get Mares, I don’t mind.”

International Boxing Federation president Daryl Peoples and Championship Committee chairman Lindsey Tucker ordered a rematch after reviewing a tape of the fight. They noted that there were several low blow fouls committed by Mares and said that while referee Mora issued numerous warnings he neglected to penalize Mares and deduct  points for the fouls.

Peoples and Tucker also ruled that the knockdown called by Mora in the eleventh round which proved crucial in deciding the outcome of the fight which Mares won by a split decision, was the result of a low blow.

Based on its review the IBF branded Mora’s conduct “inappropriate” and said it “affected the outcome of the fight and in accordance with IBF/USBA Rules, the IBF is ordering a rematch which must be held within the next 120 days or by December 14, 2011

Promoter Don King who handles Agbeko welcomed the swift and decisive action by the IBF leadership and urged the Nevada State Athletic Commission and its leaders “to step up in similar fashion as the IBF has done. After all, they have an additional obligation to protect those making wagers by insuring that fair play is paramount in their state.”

The rematch put on hold any plans for WBC/WBO champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire to face-off against Mares in a unification title fight. Arum said Donaire would take the fight in a heartbeat but that he felt Agbeko clearly deserved to get a rematch first.(pr)

DIGOS CITY'S SALUDAR WINS THIRD TITLE

Digos City native Froilan “The Sniper” Saludar won a third World Boxing Organization title with a rousing 10th round TKO over a game and gutsy Gabriel Pumar, the former WBC International minimum weight champion before a good crowd at the picturesque Island Cove Resort and Leisure Park in Kawit, Cavite last Saturday night. The fight was telecast on a slightly delayed basis on AKTV on IBC channel 13 that evening.

The undefeated Saludar hammered Pumar with thunderous body shots throughout but the superbly conditioned Japan-based fighter refused to buckle under the onslaught and often fought back tenaciously with solid combinations of his own.

However, after Pumar caught Saludar with a clear low blow in the tenth round, the second after an earlier infraction in the fourth, a seemingly incensed Saludar went after Pumar with a flurry of vicious punches capped by a couple of cracking rights that sent Pumar crashing into the ropes and almost down before he was embraced by referee Danrex Tapdasan who wisely called a halt at 2:54 of the round.

With the win Saludar captured the WBO Asia Pacific flyweight crown to add to his WBO Asia Pacific Youth championship and WBO World Youth Championship titles while improving his record to 13-0-1 with 10 knockouts.

Pumar, who won the admiration of fight fans for his gallant stand, dropped to 14-6-1 with 9 knockouts.

After taking the first two rounds with thundering right hooks to the body and a couple of stinging right straights against the southpaw Pumar, Saludar was momentarily shaken when Pumar caught him with an uppercut and a flurry of punches before Saludar hit back with some vicious shots to the body and head in the third round.

A Pumar low blow early in round four angered Saludar who almost sent him through the ropes with vicious body shots but Pumar fought back with several shots to the head. After the action eased up in rounds 5 to 7, Pumar connected with a good right hook in the eighth followed by two good lefts before he jumped in and caught Saludar with a nifty right.

In a scheduled ten round super flyweight battle southpaw Jerwin Ancajas kept his unbeaten streak going with an 8th round TKO over tough Jason Egera in a slambang encounter that saw Egera wilt under a barrage of body shots and as Ancajas chased him around the ring referee Tapdasan stepped in and stopped the fight at 2:38 of the round.

In another action-packed bout super featherweight Rey Labao scored a 5th round majority technical decision over Jose Ocampo when the ring physician instructed referee Sammy Bernabe to stop the bout after Ocampo was bleeding from a cut over his right eye which the referee claimed was caused by an accidental head-butt.

However, repeated slow motion replays on television showed it was a perfect left straight that opened up the cut.

Two of the three judges had Labao who whooped it up in the center of the ring the winner with Salven Lagumbay scoring it 48-47 and Epi Almeda 49-46 while Romy Yulo had it even at 48-48.(TV5 pr)