Filipino boxing rising star “Prince” Albert Pagara’s recent triumphant return to the squared circle in “Pinoy Pride 46: Banggaan sa Ormoc” was be shown Thursday at 12 noon on ABS-CBN S+A, with a replay on September 1.
Pagara dominated Thai challenger Ratchanon Sawangsoda last Saturday (August 17) at the Ormoc City Superdome in Leyte, where other local pugilists Jeo Santisima, Jonas “Zorro” Sultan, and Melvin “El Gringo” Jerusalem also notched convincing victories over their foreign counterparts.
Pagara went for the kill as soon as the bell rang, dropping the Thai challenger with a two-punch combo punctuated by a thunderous right straight. Trying his best to stand toe to toe with the Filipino golden boy, Sawangsoda was dropped three more times before the referee stepped in to stop the fight at the 2:53 mark of the first round.
In the fight against Sawangsoda, Pagara successfully defended his WBO Inter-Continental super bantamweight belt for the second time after fighting last November 2018 against Ghana’s George Krampah. He won the belt in a match against Krampah’s fellow Ghanian, Laryea Odoi, which also happened in 2018.
Meanwhile, Santisima, who is slowly rising through the ranks of Filipino pugilists, scored another early victory, closing out Indonesia’s Alvius Maufani in the first round as the co-main event of the fightcard. Former world contenders Sultan and Jerusalem also scored knockouts against Salatiel Amit and Reymark Taday, respectively.
For more stories and news on “Pinoy Pride” and ALA Boxing Promotions, follow @ABSCBNSports on Twitter and Facebook or visit sports.abs-cbn.com. For updates, follow @ABSCBNPR on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram or visit www.abscbnpr.com.