Jay-r Raquinel | Facebook photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — While Pedro Taduran grabbed headlines with his world title defense in Japan against Ginjiro Shigeoka, fellow Filipino Jay-R Raquinel made his own statement on Saturday night, May 24, in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.
Raquinel, a world-rated junior bantamweight contender, cruised to a fourth-round technical knockout (TKO) victory over Tanzania’s Imani Matendo to claim the Asian Boxing Federation (ABF) super flyweight title.
The 28-year-old southpaw from Negros Occidental improved his record to 17 wins (13 by knockout), with two losses and one draw. The loss marked Matendo’s first in the pros, dropping his record to 8-1-1 (3 KOs).
Raquinel, currently ranked No. 5 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) at junior bantamweight, controlled the fight from the opening bell.
He patiently picked his shots, wobbling Matendo with a sharp overhand left in the first round but opted not to rush the finish.
In the second round, Matendo tried to press forward but ran into a series of crisp counterpunches, forcing him to backpedal.
By the third, Raquinel stepped up the pressure, landing clean combinations as Matendo struggled to keep up, absorbing heavy shots during a furious exchange before the bell.
The end came in the fourth round. Matendo, already on shaky legs, took a punishing body shot and momentarily complained of a blow to the back of the head. But Raquinel stayed composed and closed the show with powerful uppercuts to both the head and body.
A left uppercut to the liver finally dropped Matendo for good, prompting the referee to wave it off at the one-minute mark of Round 4.