ERNIE SANCHEZ LOSES BY 11TH ROUND TKO IN OPBF SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT

Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation super featherweight challenger Ernie Sanchez has suffered an 11th round TKO at the hands of Japan?s defending champion Masayuki Ito in Tokyo.'

Joe Koizumi reported that Sanchez was a game fighter although the taller and faster ITO who is ranked No. 10 by the World Boxing Organization was in command from the start of the bout using his hand-speed and shifty footwork.

However, the technically inferior Sanchez put on a game do-or-die attack behind a big overhand right or bolo punch at a time although he lost most of the rounds before referee Nakamura called a halt at 1:32 of the 11th round as Ito began to rip into Sanchez with fast combinations to the head and body.

A series of vicious combinations against the fading Sanchez forced the referee to call a h all to the contest even as fight fans appreciated the gameness and durability of the Filipino.

With the win Ito improved to 19-1-1 with 9 knockouts while Sanchez dropped to 15-8-1 with 6 knockouts.

Sanchez had lost by a 3rd round TKO in his last fight against unbeaten Oscar Valdez on December 12, 2015 while Ito had won the vacant OPBF title with a 10th round TKO over Dai Iwai on August 10 last year and was coming off a lopsided twelve round unanimous decision over Shingo Ito last December 14 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.