MANILA – Filipino boxer Neil John Tabanao suffered a brutal third round knockout defeat at the hands of American Lamont Roach at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California, United States on Friday night (Saturday in the Philippines).
It was the fourth consecutive defeat of the Panabo, Davao del Norte-native, who had a little preparation heading into the bout that was postponed twice due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Roach has dominated Tabanao since the start of the bout and the American fighter went for the kill midway in the third with a body shot to the Filipino.
It was a struggle for Tabanao, who said in an interview with Powcast Sports recently that he was in the United States for seven months now since his match with Roach was originally scheduled for March.
While waiting for the rescheduling, Tabanao contracted COVID-19. After his recovery, he was forced to work as caregiver to support his family back in Mandaue, Cebu.
With the defeat, Tabanao saw his record drop to a 17-8-0 win-loss-draw card, with 11 knockout wins while Roach improved his record to 20-1-1 while also tallying his eighth stoppage triumph./PN
