By Rey Danseco
REIGNING PABA super bantamweight interim champ Pedirito Laurente, has failed in his attempt to get back in the world ratings when he lost his bout on Saturday night at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Laurente (16-9-1, 7 KOs) went all out in a 10-round non-title fight against WBC No. 1 superbantamweight contender Toshiaki Nishioka (26-4-3, 15 KOs), but Japanese judges favored their compatriot.
Noshioka, a veteran of four WBC bantamweight title fights with Thai champion Veeraphol Sahaprom, earned a unanimous decision win. The scorecards read 99-93, 98-95, and 97-94.
Laurente initially entered the WBC world rankings after he became the second Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation titlist in his family, along with brother Dennis Laurente. Laurente (Dennis) was a long time OPBF lightweight ruler from August of 2003 until he was dethroned in his first ever defense against compatriot Jimrex Jaca in January 2004.
The biggest rounds for Laurente in the bout happened late in the second round when he floored the Japanese southpaw with a right uppercut simultaneously after the bell. He tried to finish the show in the next heat, but Nishioka survived.
On the undercard, Philippine super bantamweight king Alex Escaner (21-13-3, 8 KOs) was held in a majority draw over 8 rounds bout by Japanese Yuta Nagai (14-3-2, 10 KOs). Two judges had 77-77 decisions while the third saw it 77-76 in favor of the Filipino.
Last Friday at Club Nova, Newcastle West, NSW, Australia, Sydney-based Filipino Rolando Gerongco vowed to former New South Wales champ Danny Boy Pierce over 10 rounds. It was his ninth defeat in a row in Australia and 10 straight overall since July 2004 when he failed to gain the Asian Boxing Council featherweight championship over 12 rounds against Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo in Songkla, Thailand.
Gerongco, once a promising fighter from Cebu, has been campaigning in Australia since October 2004. Eight of those loses Down Under were by decision and he was stopped only once in Australia by Daniel Hoskins for the vacant WBF Asia Pacific Super Featherweight Title in his first of six appearances this year on February 4.
