Bangoyan wrests WBC crown in lucky break

DAVAO CITY – Hard-hitting Balweg Bangoyan scored a first round knockdown but couldn’t dispose of durable WBC International superbantamweight champion Sande Otieno and in the end, settled for a win by a technical decision after ringside physician Dr. Edgar Tan ruled the Caburan, Davao del Sur, challenger unfit to continue because of a cut from an accidental headbutt at the Rizal Memorial Colleges gym here Friday night.

It was an action-packed brawl as both fighters, protecting their untarnished records, spewed fire from the opening bell.

Bangoyan, 21, came out smoking and surprised Otieno, 33, with a furious two-fisted attack to floor the Kenyan just minutes into the fight. But Otieno, a southpaw, wouldn’t give up. In the second round, an accidental clash of heads opened a cut in the corner of Bangoyan’s left eyebrow, drawing a one-point deduction from referee Bruce McTavish.

As the fight wore on, Bangoyan was clearly bothered by the blood oozing from the cut and desperately tried to end it with one punch. Otieno, however, kept his poise, dictating the tempo behind a rapier-like right jab that repeatedly stalled Bangoyan’s rushes.

Twice, McTavish summoned Dr. Tan to examine Bangoyan’s wound. Dr. Tan initially allowed the fight to go on. But on his second look, he advised McTavish to call it a night. The cut, which became Otieno’s chief target, had worsened with blood flowing freely from the deep wound.

Under WBC rules, a fight that is stopped because of an accidental headbutt after four rounds is decided by the scorecards. A fight that is halted in four rounds or less is ruled an automatic technical draw.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the big crowd as it appeared Otieno had taken control of the fight and Bangoyan was fading. But Bangoyan was visibly exasperated, banging the canvas with both hands when McTavish waved the bout off.

The three Filipino judges – Silvestre Abainza, Virgilio Garcia and Alberto Dulalas – turned in identical 48-45 scorecards for Bangoyan although they were unanimous in giving the challenger only the first and third rounds. They concurred in scoring the fifth for Otieno.

McTavish said the outcome was “inconclusive” and speculated that if the fight continued, Otieno probably would’ve stopped Bangoyan in the eighth or ninth round. But he paid tribute to Bangoyan’s big heart.

“He was lucky,” said McTavish. “He scored the knockdown in the first round, Otieno was deducted a point in the second and he took the third in all the three judges’ scorecards.” Abainza and Dulalas scored the first, third and fourth rounds for Bangoyan while Garcia saw the first, second and third rounds for the Filipino.

McTavish said he agreed with Dr. Tan’s decision to stop it because Bangoyan bled profusely from the cut.

Mayor Zander Khan of Jose Abad Santos, Davao del Sur, hailed Bangoyan’s feat as a first for the province.

“Balweg worked hard for this,” said Khan who promoted the fight in cooperation with Bebot Elorde, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City ABC president Paolo Duterte. “He’s Davao’s first-ever world champion and our brightest hope in boxing since Diosdado Gabi. This was two or three years in the making. A lot of people thought it was too soon for Balweg to fight for the world title but I knew he could do it even if this was only his 13th fight.”

The win raised Bangoyan’s record to 13-0, with six KOs. Otieno’s mark fell to 16-1, with seven KOs. The upset will surely impact on the next WBC ratings because Otieno came in ranked No. 7.

Bangoyan admitted he hurt his left hand banging against Otieno’s head in the first round and hardly used it the rest of the way. The hand was swollen after the fight.

“He throws a lot of punches but they’re not strong,” said Bangoyan, a high school sophomore dropout who was jailed for streetfighting when he was 16. “What bothered me was my cut because it stung and bothered my vision. I wanted to knock him out.”

Bangoyan’s trainer Vic Adriano said the challenger ran out of gas in the fifth round chasing Otieno and trying to land a Sunday punch. His second cornerman Junius Wangkay said he was confident Bangoyan would find his second wind if the fight continued.

The atmosphere was festive in the RMC gym. Bangoyan climbed onto the ring with a Manobo warrior, in tribal battle gear, chanting and stomping to lead his entourage. Otieno marched in with his trainer Paul Otieno, a cousin, waving the Kenyan flag to the beat of an African dance tune.

In the companion main event, Otieno’s younger brother Nick knocked out WBO No. 13 lightflyweight Rexon Flores at 1:59 of the eighth round.

Flores was in poor condition and suffered the first loss by stoppage in his career. He was a late substitute for Juanito Rubillar and Fernando Lumacad.

Otieno, 29, made a name for himself by going the distance with Z Gorres in losing a 10-round decision in Cebu last May. This time, Otieno wouldn’t be denied as he completely dominated Flores who two years ago, lost a decision to WBO lightflyweight champion Omar Narvaez in a title fight in Argentina after an unbeaten streak of 13 straight bouts.