By Rey Danseco
HARD-HITTING Filipino Benjie Sorolla of Marty Elorde's Stable of Paranaque City captured the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) Intercontinental minimumweight title in just four minutes against a Thai opponent on Sunday in Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines.
Sorolla knocked out veteran Samransak Singmanassak with a single left-hook to the jaw to become the newest Filipino champion in the main event of P600,000-worth boxing event at the Mayor Arsenio Castillo Coliseum in Camella Homes Springville City in Barangay Molino.
Singmanassak woobly tried to get on his feet, but fell down again to the canvas and then referee Bruce McTavish counted him out at 1:01 of round two.
“It was a close match in the first round, but after the second round Benjie caught the Thai between exchanges that sent the boxer on the canvas,” said WBO Vice President of Asia Pacific Leon Panoncillo, who worked as supervisor at ringside.
With Sorolla’s impressive victory, the Filipino-American official from Hawaii has assured that the new champion will improve his current No. 8 world ranking under WBO minimumweight king Ivan Calderon of Puerto Rico.
“He will now move higher in the world ranking,” said Panoncillo referring to Sorolla, who previously booted out of WBO No. 1 ranking after losing his WBO Asia Pacific minimumweight title due to failure of making a title defense and losing by technical decisions in his last two fights.
