By Ronnie Nathanielsz

 Veteran southpaw Baby Lorona Jr of the Philippines has dropped a ten round split decision to Japan’s Ryo Nakajima in a light welterweight main event of a fight card at the Osaka Prefectural Gym in Osaka, Japan.

Two of the three judges had Nakajima a comfortable winner by margins of 99-91 and 98-94 while the third judge had Lorona Jr ahead 97-95 at the end of ten rounds in another example  of the inexplicable differences in judges scorecards.

With the win Nakajima who is not even in the top  ten of the latest ratings of the Japan Boxing Commission improved to 8-5 with 4 knockouts while the far more experienced Lorona Jr dropped to 41-27-4 with 21 knockouts.

It was the 31 year old Filipinos third successive defeat having ealier lost a ten round unanimous decision to Hiroshige Osawa on April 5, this year and a 3rd round knockout at the hands of Tosho Makoto Aoki on November 30, 2008.

The 24 year old Nakajima himself was coming off a ten round unanimous decision loss to Daisuke Hata last September 7, 2008.

Baby Lorona Jr, in his prime fought reigning WBA super featherweight champion Chris John and dropped a ten round points decision in Jakarta when John was not yet a world champion but was undefeated with a record of 17-0.

He also clashed with reigning lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez and lost by a 2nd round TKO in Reno, Nevada on April 1, 2001.

Lorona Jr also fought Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao’s younger brother Bobby Pacquiao four times for the Philippine super featherweight title and lost thrice and was involved in a technical draw once. The only time Lorona Jr beat the younger Pacquiao was when he won by a 7th round TKO in a ten round non title fight in their second meeting on May 15, 2003.