CEBU, Philippines — ALA Boxing Gym’s ‘King’ Arthur Villanueva’s dream of once again fighting for the world title faded like sunset after he was stopped in the six round by Mexican world bantamweight champ Luis ‘Pantera’ Nery yesterday at the Gasmart Stadium in Tijuana, Mexico.
This is a heart-breaking setback for the 28-year-old Villanueva who has lost in two previous shots of winning a world championship.
Initially, Villanueva was supposed to be a challenger for Nery’s WBC belt but the match been reduced to a 10-round non-title bout after the latter was tested positive for Zilpaterol, a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
In a report from boxingscene.com, Villanueva fought toe-to-toe with the undefeated Mexican. The Filipino boxer’s brightest moment came in round four when he knocked down Nery.
The Mexican recovered in time to return the compliment to Villanueva. Nery gained momentum in the sixth round and launched an assault that prompted the referee to wave off the bout at the 1:19 mark of the fateful round.
Nery improved his record to 25-0 now spiked with 15 knockouts, while Villanueva slipped to 31-3, 17KOs. — (FREEMAN)