FARENAS BEATEN BY UNDEFEATED PEDRAZA IN IBF ELIMINATION BOUT By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing Sat, 15 Nov 2014 Hard hitting Filipino southpaw Michael Farenas was beaten by undefeated IBO super featherweight champion, Jose Sniper Pedraza (19-0, 12 KOs) who put on a dazzling display of boxing skills before his hometown fans winning what was described as an astounding 12-round unanimous decision against top Philippine contender Michael Farenas (39-5-4, 31 KOs). With the big win, Pedraza moves into the mandatory position to fight IBF world champion, Rances Barthelemy (21-0, 12 KOs) as the fight against Farenas was an IBF titke eliminator. A report sent to Manila Standard/Viva Sports by Mario Serrano from Puerto Rico said Pedraza got into a grove in the early rounds and mounted a sustainable lead as he used his superior boxing skills to pick apart Farenas who was coming forward. As the fight entered the middle rounds, Pedraza continued to box and use lateral movement to win rounds. The report said Farenas had his moments as he landed a few big power shots, but nothing that would prevent Pedraza from executing his game plan. Serrano said that in the championship rounds Farenas came on strong, but it was too late as Pedraza ended strong to keep his lead intact. All three judges scored it comfortably for Pedraza by margins of 117-111, 118-110 and 116-112. In a post fight interview Pedraza said This was a great win for the people of Puerto Rico and Im very happy with my performance. I knew if I stuck to my game plan which was to box and punch off angles I would be victorious. I want to thank my promoters Gary Shaw, Lou DiBella and Javier Bustillo for all their support. Im ready to challenge Rances Barthelemy for the world title. I know I can bring home another championship to my countrymen in Puerto Rico. Promoter Gary Shaw was exuberant and said Pedraza boxed beautifully tonight and proved hes one of the best super-featherweights in the world. There is no doubt in my mind he has what it takes to unify all the world titles at 130lbs. Hes now the mandatory challenger to face IBF champion Rances Barthelemy. DiBella, Bustillo and I will start working on the matchup right away. I think its a fantastic fight for the fans.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 11:21:47 +0000