DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Jason 'El Nino' Pagara boldly predicted that he would shut the lights out of his foe within two rounds. He was right on target.
With fists blazing, Pagara scored a knockdown two times early on, then finished off his hapless Mexican challenger Cesar 'El Dolar' Chavez in the second round to retain his WBO International junior welterweight title in the main event of the 'Pinoy Pride 29: Fists of Fury’ fightcard last Saturday night at the University of SouthernEastern Philippines gymnasium here.
Going into the fight, Pagara wants to prove that he's a force to reckon with in his weight division that is packed with the world's best talents and he did in spectacular fashion.
"I am ready for the next level," said Pagara, who improved his record to 35-2 now spiked with 22KOs. "We know that nothing is easy against a Mexican boxer, but I am confident of my skills that is why I was successful in delivering an early knockout," added the ALA Boxing Gym stalwart.
Pagara pressed the attack from the start, landing brutal body shots that sent Chavez down on his knees twice in the opening round. He went for the kill with 12 seconds left, but the Mexican was saved by the bell.
With the momentum on his side and egged on by the collective cheers of fans, Pagara carried on his relentless offensive in the second round. His brightest moment came when he connected with a vicious left hook to the jaw that sent Chavez crashing onto the canvas.
The Mexican obviously had a hard time recovering from that crushing blow, forcing referee Bruce McTavish to wave off the bout at the 1:56 mark of the second round.
The win boosted Pagara's stock to headline the first ever Pinoy Pride show of ALA Promotions and ABS-CBN Sports in the United States on May 23 in San Diego, California.
"Jason (Pagara) will now have a US campaign for the rest of the year starting in May and hopefully this win will show that he is now on the next stage of his career," said ALA Promotions President and CEO Michael Aldeguer. "He will also undergo extensive training camp in the US as he prepares for a future world title shot."
And Pagara is so excited about what lies ahead of him.
"I am excited and I am ready for a whole new challenge ahead of me," Pagara said."It will not be easy but this is the only way that I can reach my dream (of being a world champion)."
In the undercards, Pagara's ALA stablemates in WBO Intercontinental super bantamweight champion Genesis 'Azucal' Servania and 'King' Arthur Villanueva also came out victorious, albeit by decision, to keep their undefeated records intact.
Servania (26-0, 11KOs) was tested to the limit before pulling off a unanimous decision victory over Luis 'Perla Negra' Hernandez (17-4, 9KOs), while Villanueva (27-0, 14KOs) also labored hard before beating former world champion Julio Cesar 'Pingo' Miranda (38-12, 29KOs) also by unanimous verdict.
The rest of the results saw featherweight prospect Mark 'Magnifico' Magsayo (10-0, 8KOs) knocking out the more experienced Sukkasem Kietyongyuth (13-4, 8KOs) of Thailand in the fifth round and Arjun 'Spartan' Canillas (10-0-2, 8KOs) destroying Indonesian Stevi Ongen Ferdinandus (15-8, 8KOs) in round four. (FREEMAN)