Bantay suffers KO loss in Japan

Sports

JUNIBERT Bantay of the Cebu City-based Chao Sy Boxing Stable was unsuccessful in his first outing abroad.

Bantay, a former World Boxing Foundation (WBF) Asia Youth super featherweight champion, bowed to Japan’s Katsuya Fukui via a fourth-round technical knockout on Thursday, March 12, at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Fukui proved too strong and the busier fighter in the duel. The 29-year-old Japanese fighter bombarded Bantay with a left uppercut followed by a short left hook to the body.

As Bantay retreated, Fukui unleashed more punches. The blows sent Bantay to the canvas. The 25-year-old Bantay failed to beat the referee’s count, giving Fukui the convincing win.

Fukui, thus, pocketed a second straight win to improve to 10-1L, 7KOs.

Bantay went home with his second straight defeat as he dropped to 9W-2L.

It was the second straight knockout loss by Bantay, who was stopped in the seventh round by Leinard Sarcon last October in Manila.

The slump came after Bantay wrested the WBF Asia Youth super featherweight belt via a dominant unanimous decision victory over Japan’s Haruki Miyamoto last August at SM Seaside City Cebu.(CCM)