ASTON Palicte thought the decision to stop his World Boxing Organization super-flyweight title fight against Kazuto Ioka on Wednesday night was a premature one.
The 28-year-old Palicte insisted he was not really hurt even while at the receiving end of a barrage of punches midway throug the 10th round of the fight at the Messe Convention Center in Chiba, Japan, so much so that he got the surprise of his life when referee Kenny Chevalier stepped in and waved off the fight.
“Nagulat lang ako nang itinigil bigla ng referee. Sayang, hindi naman dapat ganoon kabilis,” said Palicte over the phone while taking his dinner shortly after the 12-round title bout.
“OK lang sana kung tumatama at hindi ako gumagalaw. Pero active naman ako nun, e. Kaya nagulat talaga ako.”
The fight was stopped at the 1:46 mark of the round, paving the way for the 30-year-old Ioka to become the first Japanese male fighter to win four world division titles.
Palicte, who fell to a 25-3-1 record with 21 knockouts, appeared to be a faded fighter after losing for the second time in his bid to become a world title holder.
While he admitted feeling tired midway through the fight, Palicte said he regained his second wind just in time for the final stretch.
“Bumalik din naman yung stamina ko,” added Palicte, who believed he was ahead by two rounds when the fight came to an end.
It should had been the other way around, according to the Filipino, as it was Ioka who seemed to be spent between the two of them.
“Pagod na siya, nakikita ko sa mukha niya,” said the former member of the Philippine boxing team.
He also lamented the referee should have given Ioka a 10-count in the fifth round when the Japanese fighter went down as Palicte was on the chase. Chevalier though, ruled it as a slip.
Ioka improved his record to 23-2 with 14 KOs, although there are rumors he might be retiring for the second time in two years after finally etching his name in Japan boxing history.
As for Palicte, the search for that elusive world title will continue.
“Ganun talaga ang boksing,” he said. “Hindi ko pa alam what’s next. Pahinga muna ako, and then balik ulit sa training.”
The Filipino’s small entourage will be arriving from Japan on Thursday evening.
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