'Bazooka' Banal blows Cave away

LAPU CITY, Cebu — In a wild and wooly fight, AJ Banal of the Philippines was awarded an eight-round technical decision win over Tyson Cave, a clown from Canada who was masquerading as a boxer before 6,000 screaming fans Saturday night at the new Hoops Dome.

When ring doctor Jose Unabia called a halt to the scheduled 12-round WBO Asia-Pacific bantamweight title fight owing to a hideous cut on Banal’s right eyebrow, he had led on all scorecards (79-73, 78-74 and 78-74).

The wound was caused by an accidental clash of heads in the fifth round and it left the right side of Banal’s face looking like a Halloween mask.

Although Banal could not cope with Cave’s quick feet, he still managed to land some punches and displayed enough aggression to earn the nod of the judges.

Cave’s comic antics early in the fight gave the fans a treat but he later earned the ire of the crowd with his antics as he repeatedly used tactics associated with mixed martial arts. Banal was disgusted with Cave’s showing that he even dared his out-of-this-world foe to a fight even after referee Tony Pesons had ordered a stoppage.

While Cave’s bizarre behavior contributed to the weird outcome of the match, it was Pesons’ mishandling of the bout that proved crucial.

Instead of issuing several warnings to Cave early for making several 360 degree moves, Pesons turned a blind eye on them and his indecisiveness may have given Cave the impression that he could get away with just about everything illegal stuff he could think of doing.

Nick Giongco, Manila Bulletin