By Ronnie Nathanielsz

The Philippines’s Eric Barcelona failed in his second attempt to win  the vacant IBO bantamweight title losing a unanimous twelve round decision to South Africa’s Simphiwe Vetyeka at a jam-packed Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa.
 
Barcelona had earlier lost another twelve round unanimous decision to Silence Mabuza in an IBO bantamweight title clash on November 20, 2004. He also lost in a battle for the vacant IBO super flyweight title against Mbwana Matumla on November 4, 2006 also in South Africa.
 
All three judges scored it by wide margins of 118-110, 117-111 and 118-114 for Vetyeka but while the outcome was never in doubt Barcelona who  never took a step backward was commended for being what The Herald newspaper in Johannesburg reported was “a whirlwind in the shape of a pocket dynamo.”    
 
The Herald reported that Vetyeka enjoyed a “considerable advantage in weight, height and reach in what was akin to a David and Goliath contest. But while the durable Barcelona was without a sling shot to worry Vetyeka with his endless stream of relatively powder-puff punches, the Filipino fighter earned rousing applause after the final bell for his whole-hearted performance.”
 
The boxing writer went on to claim that “it looked as though there were two weight division difference between the fighters and the horse racing handicap system was needed to make this a valid contest between two opponents at any level – let alone one that bore a dubious world title label.”

However, from an entertainment point of view fight fans got their money’s worth.
 
Former IBF minimum weight champion who recently lost a lopsided decision in a title eliminator against the skilled Nkosinathi Joyi was also praised for his courage and fighting heart, typical of most Filipino fighters.
 
The little, 27 year old southpaw Barcelona dropped to 48-16-4 with 18 knockouts tiny Barcelona but he displayed what was described as raw courage which confounded the skeptics. Even in the final round the Filipino was throwing punches with rapid succession and for the first time in the fight appeared to hurt Vetyeka in a rousing finish.

Barcelona was coming off a 6th round TKO victory over Arnold Montojo last May 14 while Vetyeka in his last outing on August 16, 2008 won the South African bantamweight title with an 8th round TKO of Nkosinathi Tshinavhe. The new 28 year old IBO 118 pound champion now holds a record of 21-1 with 12 knockouts.