By Rey Danseco
 
Top-ranked Juanito Rubillar pressed his drive for a world title shot against Brian Viloria when he battered Ronnie Cañete in their non-title fight Saturday night in Sucat, Parañaque City, Philippines.

Rubillar won a lopsided unanimous decision, took control the fight with incessant body attack and imposing a tactical pressure on Cañete through out the one-sided 10-round bout at the Elorde Sports Center.

The judge-referee Ver Abainza and Epi Almeda ruled the fight with identical 100-90 shutout verdict and the inexperienced judge Salvador Lopez had it 99-91 all for Rubillar.

“It was another good work out for me as part of my preparations prior to my fight with Viloria,” said Rubillar, who improved to 38-9-7 with 17 knockouts.

Cañete took a lot of punishment with the left side of the body suffering a contusion from usually double right hooks when he successfully well covered the midsection and face.

“He crowded me everywhere I went. I almost couldn’t breathe with his continuous bombardments of combinations from different angles. He’s a real threat to anyone in light flyweight,” said Cañete, who knocked down reigning WBC flyweight champ Pongsaklek Wonjongkam in the first round of their non-title fight in 2004.

Cañete, said, he walked out in the third round when he confirmed that the Thai referee helped the champion to recover every time he landed devastating punches.

Against Rubillar, Cañete’s best round was in the 4th when he landed clean punches straight to Rubillar’s face. Lopez also awarded the round to him.

“He’s tough, and I believe Viloria will have a hard time too when their fight comes,” said Cañete’s cornerman ex-Philippine light fly champ Jovan Presbitero, who fought Jorge “Travieso” Arce in Mexico for the WBC Youth light flyweight title in October 2000.

Rubillar has been assured by the WBC of a mandatory championship fight against fellow Filipino Viloria (19-0, 12 KOs) for the WBC light flyweight title, tentatively set on May 6 also at ESC.

WBC president Jose Sulaiman recently ordered the managers of Viloria and Rubillar, Gary Gittelsohn and Gabriel Elorde Jr, respectively, to negotiate within March 6 to April 6 for the purses, venue and other details of the championship. But up to this time, they haven’t get in touch.

Sulaiman made it clear that if Elorde and Gittelsohn fail to reach an agreement, there will be a purse bid help on April 7 at the WBC Executive Offices in Mexico City.

In the undercard of the same card dubbed Bakbakan sa Elorde (Rumble at Elorde), featherweight Rey Labao improved to 8-0 with five knockout when he floored Roberto Moreno with right uppercut to the body late in the first round and finally finished him off at 43 seconds mark in the second round with a left uppercut to the midsection.

Sukarno “Master Showman” Banjao won his first fight after coming off of three loses with majority decision win in four rounds over Acasio Simbajon in their super flyweight fight. The judges saw it 40-36 and 39-38 for Banjao. The third judge had it 38-38 draw.

Lanky 18-year old southpaw fighter Hilsan Berba picked himself from a knockdown with body shot in the penultimate fifth round and forces the referee to stop the fight at 37 seconds of the sixth round over the exhausted Michael Romulo in their super bantamweight fight.

Super bantamweight Noel Basto dominated Elmer Marcelino in their 4-round bout.

Bantamweight Raymond Sermona staggered Edward Hanap with right straight punch and sent on his knees with barrage to the body at his corner in the 2nd round of their 4-rounder fight.

Lightweight Joebert Zamora annihilated the much taller 5-foot-8 Ruel Santos with right cross at 42 seconds in the opening round also of their 4-rounder fight. Santos failed to beat the count.