Filipino newcomer Arman de la Cruz captured the WBC international 112-pound belt (minimumweight) by a split decision over defending champion and compatriot Ernesto Rubillar in 12 rounds.
A smashing shot at the chin just before the bell sounded sent the Indon crashing down to the canvas with the 24-year-old Filipino winning the 115-lb title, Tunacao’s 25th win, 14 by knockout.
The WBC No. 4 ranked Filipino had gained the flyweight belt by stopping Medgoen Toyota-Thailand in seven rounds in 2000, but forfeited it to the current WBC champ Pongsaklek Singwangcha by a first-round stoppage the following year.
It was actually Ali Rohmat who was the original fighter set to clash with Tuñacao but the Indon fighter suffered a cut in a sparring session in his buildup for the fight, forcing him to back out and enabling Jaguar to take the cudgels for him.
With his advantage in reach, Jaguar unleashed left jabs against the smaller Tunacao, who appeared rusty in his first fight in 10 months. But the Filipino came alive in the third round and pummeled his rival’s head with a combination of shots that staged the Indon.