Christian Araneta failed to stop Sivenathi Nontshinga and went on to lose by unanimous decision in their world title eliminator on Saturday, April 24 (Sunday, April 25, Manila time) at Boardwalk Hotel and Casino in Gqeberha, South Africa.
After a long chase, Araneta finally caught Nontshinga, a reputed puncher who turned out to be a runner, with a left straight to the chin in the 12th and last round for the knockdown.
The local idol, however, was able to beat the count and hold on for life to salvage his 10th straight win, the first 9 coming via knockouts, by scores of 114-113, 114-113, and 115-112.
Araneta dropped to 19-2 with 15 knockouts.
The win earned Nontshinga, whose last KO victim was Filipino Ivan Soriano on March 8, 2020, a crack at Felix Alvarado’s International Boxing Federation light flyweight belt.
Having felt Araneta’s power in the early rounds, Nontshinga opted to keep his distance the rest of the fight and avoid the Cebuano’s vaunted left uppercut.
After the final bell, trainer Jinggoy Junco lifted Araneta, expecting a favorable verdict that did not come.
Another Filipino, Jerald Paclar, suffered the same fate as Araneta in the chief support.
Paclar brought Yanga Sigqibo to his knees in the third and eighth rounds, but the referee ruled both as due to kidney punches and gave the local fighter time to recover.
In the end, the judges rewarded Sigqibo the decision, 116-113, 116-112, 116-112, in the junior bantamweight tussle.
Sigqibor improved to 15-1-1 with 4 knockouts while Paclar dropped to 15-5-3 with 8 KOs. – Rappler.com
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