Dodie Boy Jr. kayoes Thai foe in 3rd

CEBU, Philippines - Undefeated bantamweight prospect Dodie Boy Peñalosa Jr. lived up to the hype as he scored his sixth win by knockout against Thai veteran Kong Kiatpracha Gym in the third round of the main event fight of "Laban ng Lahi: Dugong Kampeyon" Saturday night at the Mandaue Sports Complex.

The 21-year-old son of former two-division world champion Dodie Boy Sr. and nephew of Gerry Peñalosa roared to an aggressive start as he tried to pin the Thai to the ropes.

With an unorthodox style of fighting the active Muay Thai fighter Kiatpracha tried to land some wild hooks to Peñalosa, but the former amateur sensation countered sharp jabs forcing the shorter Kiatpracha to back down.

The chasing was put to stop in the third round, as Peñalosa was able to corner Kiatpracha and launched a series of vicious body shots that sent the Thai kneeling.

Kiatpracha stood up, but Peñalosa immediately continued bombarding him with brutal combinations that halted the fight at 2:16 mark of the round.

"Pag first round ako unang gisukod, unya nakita man nako nga kaya ra nako iyang (Kiatpracha) kumo mao na akong gi-presyur og sakitan siya sa lawas mao to akong giatake," said Dodie Boy Jr. who is now on his way for an appearance on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez showdown in November 12 in Las Vegas.

For his part, Gerry Peñalosa was impressed and glad for his nephew's performance, but also emphasizes that he still has many things to be able to reach his dream of a world title fight.

"Magaling, sumbagay gyud iyang gipakita ug naa gyud siyay kusug, pero daghan pang kinahanglan makat-onan ug tentatively sa September i-away nako siya og balik against an Australian boxer na sad," said the former boxing champion turned boxing promoter Peñalosa.

In the supporting bout, Rodel "Batang Mandaue" Mayol won a lopsided unanimous decision against tough Jason Rotoni of Manila. Mayol tried to give his hometown a knockout victory, but Rotoni proved to be a one tough customer as it withstands the punishment of the former world champion.

After the 10 rounds three judges scored- 98-92, 98-92 and 99-91 all in favor of Mayol.

Former two-time OPBF titlist Jimrex Jaca won a third round TKO over Philip Jun Demecillo, while Eden Sonsona outsmarted Eman Labanza via unanimous decision.

Randy Petalcurin also defended his PABA interim light flyweight title in a controversial eight-round disqualification against Michael Rodriguez. - THE FREEMAN