INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?It was a day of contrasting fates for Filipino fighters Sunday with Rodel Mayol claiming a world title in sensational fashion and Marvin Sonsona losing his crown ignominiously after failing to make the weight limit.

Mayol, known as ?Batang Mandaue? and managed by Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao, dethroned highly regarded Mexican Edgar Sosa via a stunning second-round technical knockout victory to wrest the WBC light flyweight crown at the Palenque de la Feria in Chiapas, Mexico.

The victory came a week after Pacquiao?s sensational 12-round annihilation of Puerto Rican hero Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas that gave the world?s pound-for-pound king a record seven title in seven divisions.

Sonsona, bruited as the next Pacquiao, was stripped of his WBO super flyweight title when he tipped in two pounds over the 115 lb limit during the morning weigh-in for his defense against Mexican Alejandro Hernandez at the Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada.

The fight was still held with Sonsona, unable to show his explosive power, settling for a split draw with Hernandez that left the title vacant.

In an interview with the Inquirer, Mayol said he felt that Sosa was a bit drained in the first round and that his punches were hurting the Mexican.

?I gave it to him because his punches seem weak and I was hurting him,? Mayol said in Cebuano.

Mayol knocked down Sosa in the first round, moments after the two banged heads accidentally, resulting in a slight cut on Sosa?s head.

Sensing victory, Mayol immediately got down to work in the second round, dropping Sosa again with a combination. Sosa managed to beat the count, but was again the recipient of Mayol?s barrage of punches before the referee came in to stop the contest.

?I would like to thank Manny Pacquiao for helping me and not losing faith in me,? Mayol said.

He also thanked trainers Jessie Arevalo and Jeremiah Quijano and his cutman Dr. Ed de la Vega.

Sonsona lacked training

Sonsona, who lacked the needed training for this fight according to reports, had moments when he could have ended it early but his punches lacked their usual sting.

Sonsona?s handlers said they rejected plans to have the boxer shed off the extra poundage to preserve his strength for the fight.

The GenSan fighter will soon fight in the next heavier division, they added.

It was at the same Casino Rama where Sonsona won the WBO super flyweight title from Jose ?Carita? Lopez of Puerto Rico by unanimous decision last September.

Sonsona?s reign only lasted two months and 17 days, breaking the record of the shortest title reign of junior welterweight Roberto Cruz who won and lost his world title in a span of two months and 25 days in 1963.

In the undercard, Ciso ?Kid Terrible? Morales of Talibon, Bohol, won by eighth-round majority decision over Miguel Gonzales of Mexico.

The 21-year-old Morales used roughhousing tactics to neutralize his opponent?s height and reach advantage.

The scores were 77-75, 78-74 for Morales and one judge had it at 76-all.
With a report from Philboxing