Barriga impresses in boxing comeback
Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga made a triumphant return on the ring with a masterful win against Junuel Lacar in their six-round bout Saturday, March 27 at the International Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Mandaue City, Cebu.
It was the 27-year-old Barriga’s first foray since his late 2018 fight in a US debut as he proved to be the superior boxer with combinations to the head and body that led to a victory.
The end came for the 28-year-old Lacar late in the fourth round when his side had enough and called for a corner stoppage in the 10-card bout organized by the Omega Boxing Promotions.
The victory improved the ring record of the native of Danao, Cebu to 10 wins against one defeat, which came against American Carlos Licona in a split decision setback for the vacant IBF world minimum weight title last Dec. 1, 2018 at The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
The 2012 London Olympics participant also captured a gold medal in the 2013 Myanmar Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and earned a bronze medal during the 2014 Incheon Asian Games in Korea.
As for Lacar, he now sports a ring record of eight wins, seven defeats and three draws. He lost to Mark Vicelles last October when Omega first organized a boxing event in the country under strict measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mark Vicelles, meantime, scored a fourth round knockout win against Richard Rosales as he extended his unbeaten streak to 13 wins.
Omega’s head trainer Julius Naranjo said the 25-year-old boxer needs a few more bouts before they try to look for a bigger fight.
“It was a good performance with body shots. We executed the game plan well,” Naranjo said. “Maybe 2-3 more fights then we are good to go (for international fights, possibly in the US).”
In other Kumbati 9 results, Pete Apolinar scored a unanimous decision win over Juanito Paredes, Carlo Bacaro also took a UD win against Allan Villanueva, Arthur Villanueva likewise won via UD versus Bryan Tamayo, and Benny Canete earned a UD triumph against Reycar Auxilo.
In Kumbati 8 results, Tomjune Mangubat defeated Ryan Maano, Reggie Suganob knocked out Paulo Sy in the third round, while Rodel Sunganob and Luiz Borjie had a draw.