Filipino boxer John Dato suffered the first defeat of his career after yielding to Mexican foe Angel Contreras via unanimous decision in a bloody eight-round featherweight thriller in the Pacquiao-Ugas preliminary undercard at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Nevada Saturday, Aug. 21 there (Sunday in Manila).
Contreras scored a huge knockdown as early as the third round after unloading a slick right uppercut and floored the Filipino pugilist at the 1:52 mark.
Dato carried on until the seventh round where Contreras, gaining momentum since the knockdown, charged with hard-hitting combinations and hefty body punches.
With a bloodied face, Dato was desperate heading into the last round and started strong after landing a flurry of punches and crisp body shots.
Contreras, who started to slow down, answered with precise counterpunches in the all-out eighth round, throwing all sorts of punches to level the Filipino's aggressiveness.
With a little left on their gas tank, fans were ecstatic as the two boxers brawled non-stop until the final bell with Contreras raising his fists for a pre-celebration before the match went to the judges' scorecard.
Contreras improved to an 11-4 record on top of six knockouts while Dato has 14 wins with nine KOs, a loss, and a draw.