Saulong loses world title bid vs Iwasa

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino Ernesto Saulong came up short in his quest for a world title, getting outpointed by IBF super bantamweight champion Ryosuke Iwasa at the Ryogoku Sumo Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday night.

Iwasa won with lopsided scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110 to successfully defend his crown and hand Saulong his third loss.

But the judges’ tally does not reflect how Saulong gamely tried his best, according to his trainer Joven Jimenez.

In a Viber conversation with Philstar.com, Jimenez — who also trains and manages IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas — praised Saulong for trying hard in the later rounds.

“Yes po, malawak pero nagbigay siya ng magandang performance [in the] late rounds. (Yes, the scores may be wide but he gave a good performance in the late rounds),” Jimenez told Philstar.com.

The 28-year-old Saulong — who hails from Mindoro Occidental and currently resides in Santa Rosa City, Laguna — entered the fight as a huge underdog and hoped to buck the odds with a monumental upset of Iwasa.

Saulong’s most significant win came in 2015 when the boxer defeated Alie Laurel for the vacant WBC international bantamweight championship, which he immediately lost in his first defense the same year.

On Thursday night, Saulong sought to join stablemate Ancajas, the latest toast of Philippine boxing, among the country’s current world titlists.

And even though Saulong (now 21-3-1, with 8 KOs) failed against Isawa, Jimenez saw his ward as a winner.

“Para sa akin, maganda ang pinakita niya,” said Jimenez.