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| Rodelyn Perez hit a right hook that staggered Eman Bacosa-Pacquiao. Luis Fabregar |
MUNTINLUPA—Eman Bacosa-Pacquiao failed in his first crack at a professional boxing title after bowing to Rodelyn Perez in their showdown for the vacant Philippine Boxing Federation youth lightweight title on Sunday night at the DRT Sports Complex here.
Three knockdowns within the next four rounds after the first three minutes virtually determined the outcome as Perez did not just avenge his loss to Bacosa-Pacquiao, the son of boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, in their first meeting two years ago, but also won the first title belt of his young career.
In what seemed like the match-turning point during the second round, Perez staggered Bacosa-Pacquiao with a right hook that sent the second-generation pug to the corner.
Perez continued pounding Bacosa-Pacquiao until the latter's gloves hit the canvas, which prompted referee Jerrold Tomeldan to start counting up to eight on Bacosa-Pacquiao.
Bacosa-Pacquiao thought he could get the knockdown back in Round 3 after a left hook wobbled Perez and was just close to dropping down the canvas before the ropes somehow saved him.
However, Perez recovered from the near-knockdown and completed the flooring with a left hook that overturned things to his favor.
Perez then sneaked in a punch while Bacosa-Pacquiao appeared to have slipped through a sponsorship decal inside the ring in Round 5, which Tomeldan ruled as the Zamboanga Sibugay native's third knockdown of the night to the dislike of General Santos pride.
Bacosa-Pacquiao had some chances to steal the win, especially with Perez feeling the effects of a cut just above his right eye.
However, despite apparently getting the better of the last two rounds, Bacosa-Pacquiao could not find the needed knockdowns that would have shaken the judges' scorecards.
Silvestre Abainza thought both pugilists boxed the eight-round affair to a 75-all draw, but Oliver Garcia (76-73) and Carlo Baluyut (75-74) both had it for Perez, who moved up to 6-4.
When ring announcer Mark Lontayao revealed the final scores, Perez went down to the canvas in tears of joy.
"Sobrang saya kasi di ako makapaniwala na nanalo ako sa laban," Perez told Dugout Philippines afterward.
Seeing how tight the two meetings were—the first showdown also ended in a majority decision but favored Bacosa-Pacquiao—all the more so when fans thought he could have won if there was no knockdown, they quickly entertained the possibility of a trilogy to finally settle the score between the two young guns.
Perez said he is open to an immediate rematch if needed, adding that this is his opportunity to make up for a costly weigh-in error that nearly put the match in jeopardy.
Both Perez and Bacosa-Pacquiao missed the 135-pound weight limit during Saturday's official weigh-in, with the former slightly heavier at 137.1 compared to the latter's 136.5.
However, both camps agreed to still have the national title on the line.
"Ile-level up ko yung training and preparation ko," Perez revealed his plan of action to make sure he makes weight in his next bout, either against Bacosa-Pacquiao or someone else.
Perez also said that despite the weight issues, he plans to stay in the lightweight division for a little longer.
Bacosa-Pacquiao, who lost for the first time since his pro debut in 2021 and dropped to 8-2-1, begged off from discussing the bout when some reporters tried to reach out to him.
