MANILA, Philippines – Rocky Fuentes had waited 11 long years to get his first crack at a world title fight. He’ll have to wait longer to win one though.
Fuentes (35-7-2, 20 knockouts) of Cebu City, Philippines dropped a unanimous decision to Amnat Ruenroeng (12-0, 5 KOs) in a vie for the vacant IBF flyweight title on Wednesday afternoon at Liptapanlop Hall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The scores were 111-117 and 112-116 twice.
Ruenroeng, 34, who had competed for Thailand in the 2008 Olympics, utilized his superior boxing skill to keep Fuentes off balance for much of the fight, making him miss frequently while landing effective counters.
The loss was Fuentes’ first since 2007, snapping a 15 fight winning streak. Fuentes, 27, had fought 13 previous times abroad, earning the nickname “The Road Warrior.” Fuentes had been rated no. 10 by The Ring magazine’s flyweight rankings.
The IBF title was vacated when South African Moruthi Mthalane was stripped when he failed to meet his mandatory challenger Ruenroeng. Fuentes was without his head trainer Edito Villamor, who is in Mexico with stablemates Genesis Servania and Milan Melindo for training. Fuentes’ corner was instead manned by Edito’s brother Edmundo Villamor and Michael Domingo. – Rappler.com
Ryan Songalia is the sports editor of Rappler, a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and a contributor to The Ring magazine. He can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com. An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @RyanSongalia.
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