Philippines’ Viloria loses 2 flyweight belts to Mexico’s Francisco Estrada

Filipino-American boxer Brian Viloria has lost two belts to Mexico’s Juan Francisco Estrada, who is 10 years his junior, in a split decision after their match at the Venetian Resort and Hotel, in Macau on Saturday night. 

The other Filipino fighters on the card won, however, including featherweight prospect Dodie Boy Peñalosa Jr, his brother David, and the unbeaten Milan Melindo. 

Nicknamed ‘The Hawaiian Punch’, as he was born in Hawaii, Viloria dropped to 32-4, losing for the first time in three years, while Francisco Estrada, 22, improved to 23-2 with 18 knockouts.

“It was a sorry loss for The Hawaiian Punch, who was coming off two very impressive knockout wins but just didn’t have the same sting in his punches this time,” Yahoo! PH Sports said yesterday. “He managed to bloody the nose of Estrada and cause a welt under the Mexican’s eye, but he was never able to follow through on his combinations.”

The 32-year-old Viloria, who dominated the early fight as he started out strong, lost his World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) flyweight titles, as he garnered 113-115 from one judge, and 111-116 and 111-117 from the two other respective judges.

Peñalosa Jr, who got knocked down in the first-round, recovered to knock out Thailand’s Nimithra Sithsaithong in the third-round. He stretched his perfect record to 11 wins with 11 knockouts. 

David, on the other hand, scored a second-round knockout over Cheroenchai Sithsaithong, a Thai.

Peñalosa Jr’s and David’s father, Dodie Boy Sr, was a world champion in the junior flyweight and flyweight divisions.

The unbeaten flyweight prospect Melindo, meanwhile, finished off Indonesia’s Tommy Seran in the fourth-round after dropping him in the first and second rounds. Melindo improved to 29-0 with 12 knockouts.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.