Jaca impressive in US debut; KOs Mexican foe in first round

Cebu-honed Jimrex Jaca of RWS Stable earned a share of the spotlight in another glorious moment for Philippine boxing when he scored a spectacular first round knockout of Mexican Geronimo Hernandez in the undercard of Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales II yesterday at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Thus, the 22-year-old Jaca joined the band of promising Filipino ring gladiators making waves in the United States.

It was a meandering journey to triumph for the Sibulan, Negros Oriental-native Jaca, who was almost deleted from the blockbuster card after being denied of a US visa at first.

Through the efforts of his influential manager Rex "Wakee" Salud, Jaca was eventually issued with all the pertinent travel documents to the US. He immediately flew to Las Vegas one week before the fight.

Jaca did not let everyone down as he pulled off a sensational US debut, decking Hernandez twice for a resounding TKO triumph at 2:46 of the opening session.

Jaca, the former OPBF super bantamweight champion who is now campaigning in the super featherweight ranks, landed a two-punch combo to the head that sent his hapless Mexican foe to the canvass for the first time.

A rubbery-legged Hernandez got up, but Jaca, sensing victory, swiftly went for the kill by landing a powerful left straight to the face that flattened the Mexican for good.

In improving his win-loss-draw record to 24-1-1 now dotted with 15KOs, Jaca showed no signs of anxiousness fighting for the first time before a bigtime audience.

For sure, Jaca's victory will open the door of brighter opportunities for him in the lucrative US boxing market.