Merlito Sabillo loses title by 10th round TKO to Rodriguez

MANILA, Philippines- In a stunning upset, Merlito “Tiger” Sabillo (23-1-1, 12 knockouts) failed to retain his WBO strawweight title for the third time as Francisco Rodriguez Jr. (14-2, 10 KOs) battered him into submission for a 10th round TKO victory in Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Rodriguez, whose lone notable fight was a seventh-round TKO defeat against two-division champion Roman Gonzalez, never gave the defending champion a moment to breath from the opening bell. Rodriguez came out swinging and throwing punches in volume, pinning the previously unbeaten champion to the ropes before the end of the first round.

Signs of a brewing upset became more visible as Rodriguez continued his assault in round two. Non-stop pressure and body punching got the better of Sabillo, eventually dropping the former champion with a left hook and right straight to the head. Sabillo beat the count only to look weaker and sluggish as he attempted to move forward. Sabillo was floored yet again before the round ended but referee ruled it as a slip.

Sabillo looked helpless and had nothing to offer in round three. Rodriguez continued to have  success from the opening rounds, throwing punches in bunches and investing to the body.

The left-handed, Negros Occidental native Sabillo finally came to life in round 4, throwing one-two combinations and right hooks with serious intent. Despite his gallant effort, it was clear from this round that Sabillo wasn’t capable of hurting the 20-year-old challenger.

Rodriguez continued to attack Sabillo at will in round 5. Sabillo attempted to rally back in the last 10 seconds of the stanza but was too late to steal the round from the challenger.

Sabillo landed his best punch of the fight, a solid left cross, at the 1:29 mark of round 6, but it was simply shrugged off by the challenger as if nothing happened.

Rodriguez poured it on in round 10, pounding a defenseless Sabillo. Sensing that his ward was in despair, Sabillo’s trainer Edito Villamor stepped onto the ring apron to rescue his fighter, prompting referee Eddie Claudio to stop the fight at the 1:50 of the round, handing Sabillo his first professional defeat.

With this defeat, the Philippines is now left with two world champions, Sabillo’s stablemate WBO world light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes (32-1-4, 18KO) and IBF world light flyweight champion Jhonriel Casimero (19-2, 11KO). – Rappler.com