Negrense boxer John Michael Zulueta needed only two rounds to knockout Thai Sittichai Nimnual at the SpacePlus Night Club in Bangkok, Thailand.
The native of Calatrava, Negros Occidental reclaimed his Asian Boxing Federation (ABF) light flyweight belt with a second-round technical knockout win after giving solid combinations and straights to the body and the head of Nimnual.
It was a scintillating match between two pugs, but the Pinoy boxer had the momentum in the second round, dropping the Thailander with a 1-2 combo before referee Worawuth Duankhao stopped the fight at the 1:09 mark.
To recall, it was the second time that Zulueta has captured the 112-pound division belt of the ABF after previously handling the title when he scored a fourth round technical decision win over fellow Pinoy Mark Anthony Florida.
But coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has prevented the 27-year-old Zulueta from defending the belt, which was temporarily handled by Thai boxer Thanongsak Simsri just last March.
Zulueta also recorded a rare feat by a Filipino boxer with his triumph over Nimnual as it was the Negrense fighter’s third straight stoppage win in Thailand. He also scored a fifth round technical knockout win over Indonesian Jack Amisa last May 5 before following it up with a first round stoppage win against Thai Somphon Banyaem.
The former champion in the minimum weight division maintained his unblemished card with 14-0-2 win-loss-draw, with seven victories by way of knockouts after the win.
Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Nimnual suffered his third defeat as against four victories in his career that started in 2019. Three of the Thai boxer’s wins were by way of stoppages.IMT Sports
