Cebu-based boxer Tabanao loses via UD in Africa

CEBU-BASED Neil John Tabanao lost to Ghanaian Isaac Dogboe via unanimous decision in their 12-round showdown for the WBC Youth Featherweight title in Accra, Ghana, Africa early morning yesterday.

All judges scored the fight for Dogboe. Scores were 120-109, 117-113 and 119-110.

Dogboe improved to 15-0-0 (win-loss-draw) with nine victories by knockouts.

Tabanao, a native of Panabo City, Davao del Norte, suffered his second loss. He has 13 wins, nine by knockouts.

Tabanao fought valiantly but had a hard time dealing with the Dogboe’s solid defensive game plan.

In contrast, Dogboe consistently connected on his one-two combinations, targeting the head of the Filipino boxer.

In the later rounds, Tabanao got some sort of momentum by connecting on his own combinations. He sensed that Dogboe had difficulties in throwing punches after sustaining a left arm injury.

Tabanao floored Dogboe twice in the final round but the referee did not count them as knockdowns.

The Ghanaian weathered the storm and bounced back by connecting combinations.

“The fight was close but I really thought that it was hard to get a win here by decision,” Tabanao’s trainer Brix Flores said in Cebuano.

“The first knockdown was unclear but the second one was clear since Tabanao hit Dogboe with a counter straight but the referee didn’t count it as a knockdown,” added Flores