By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Philippine super lightweight champion Bart Abapo has retained his title with a sixth round TKO win in a rematch with No.2 tanked Rex Marzan at the Carlos P. Garcia Multi-Purpose Center in Talibon, Bohol.
GAB ring physician Dr. Jose Onavio advised international referee Teddy Alivio to stop the fight after Marzan who suffered a cut above the eyebrow in the second was battered and bleeding badly from his nose in the sixth. The doctor’s decision was aimed at preventing the challenger from being badly hurt. The official time was 1:11 of the sixth round.
The lanky Abapo controlled the fight from the opening bell despite the efforts of Marzan to try and upset the champion with his aggressive style. With the win Abapo’s record improved to 17-4-2 with 12 knockouts. Abapo had also beaten Marzan by an eighth round TKO last March 8.
In the main supporting bout Philippine No. 2 minimum weight Donnie Nietes scored a lopsided eight round decision over game Allan Dugang who refused to go down despite a bad beating.
All three judges scored it a shutout for the talented Nietes, with an 80-70 margin on two scorecards and 80-73 tally on the third. Nietes improved to 12-1-2 with 9 knockouts.
