June 27, 2010, around 3:30 P.M. in the afternoon, marked the beginning of the second "SMOKER FIGHT" event for amateur Stand-up kickboxing fighters and enthusiasts alike. The event was held in the same location as its predecessor ("Smoker Fight 1"), but now hosted over 5 matches all in all, and each one was action-filled and very exciting to watch. The fights were explosive, from the very first match down to the last, something that definitely pleased the crowd.
The first fight card of the night was between an anticipated match up between two promising fighters, Jonathan Sumogat and Joachim Milana. Both fighters seemed very eager to fight as they both prepared for the fight and stepped up in the ring.
There was no shortage of action in this match as both fighters immediately went at it as soon as the match began. The crowd was silent at first as both fighters were trying to find their range, but as soon as the first hard kick was thrown, the crowd went wild.
It was a literal back and forth of action, as both fighters exchanged blows with each other. Jonathan employed his sidekicks to keep Joachim at bay, while Joachim relied on his heavy hands to do some damage. In the first round, Joachim was able to land a solid right hand, knocking down his opponent on the mat, but Jonathan came back up and shook off the blow, and came back with a couple of solid side kicks, hindering Joachim from coming in too close.
Fatigue was evident in both fighters as the match came down to the very last round. Both fighters appear to be struggling in throwing their best punches and kicks, which is understandable, especially with the amount of power that they have been employing all throughout the entire match. Ultimately, it was Jonathan Sumogat who came out with the win via unanimous decision.
The second match pitted Paolo Mabanglo, a "Smoker Fight" 2nd-timer, and JA Dalodo, who was debuting in this Muay Thai "Smoker Fight" . These two fighters had a considerable difference in their fighting style, as Paolo employed a whole lot of kicks for his offense, while JA used a lot of his punches to do some damage. These evenly matched fighters were in a back and forth exchange of blows in each round, to the delight of the crowd. Just when you thought that one of the fighters were in trouble after receiving a devastating hit from his opponent, they would get back into the fight with a strong and solid blow themselves, and turn the tide of the fight to their favor.
The match was so close that the outcome came down to a referee's decision. The match was called a draw, and both of the fighters' hands were raised in victory.
The third match was between Margyle Leparto and Ramil, and it was another match that offered back-to-back action for the crowd. Out of the two fighters, Margyle had more experience in Muay Thai, and their skill difference became more apparent as Margyle employed a lot of different kicks and knees against his opponent. However,Ramil was not without his own bag of tricks, as he employed kicks and punches of his own to keep Margyle at bay.
They would often get into a clinch situation whenever they would begin throwing bombs at each other, wherein Margyle would exploit to his advantage by throwing knees to the midsection and sides of the body. Ultimately, Margyle was declared the victor of the two.
The fourth match pitted Nier, a pro boxer, against Richard Gallego. This was another classic match-up between a fighter who had devastating punch power, against another who employs a lot of crippling leg kicks.
Their martial arts pedigree became very apparent, as Richard began his attack with his signature solid leg kicks, attacking Nier's lead leg for almost the duration of the entire match. However, Nier simply took all the damage of Richard's leg kicks by not blocking the attacks, but countered Richard's attacks with his own strong punch combinations that rocked Richard a couple of times in the match. During the first round Richard was rocked by a heavy jab on the face by Nier. As the referee gave a mandatory standing 8 count , Richard was able to bounce back and went back to his fighting mode. Every time Richard would attack Nier with his leg kicks, Nier would come back with his punches, and both would usually end up in a clinch.
Though no fighter was knocked out throughout all the action, Nier seemed to get the better of the exchange, and was declared the victor after three rounds of fighting.
The fifth and final match of the afternoon was between a "Smoker Fight" second-timer, Lemmy Guttierez, and a "Smoker Fight" first-timer, David Porras. Lemmy won his first ever amateur Stand-up match against another "Smoker Fight 2" participant, Paolo, and was looking to add another win to his record, but he had to get pass Dave first in order to do so.
Both fighters tried to employ their game against their opponent, but out of the two, the "Smoker Fight" second-timer seemed to be the one controlling the pace of the fight. Lemmy used his arsenal of kicks and punches against Dave, and was able to limit Dave to a few attacks by keeping him on the defensive. Dave was able to defend himself properly, thereby minimizing the amount of damage that he would receive from the assault, however, he was not able to launch any successful counter-attack against Lem.
After two rounds, Dave's corner decided to halt to the match and give Lem the victory.
After all of the matches, sponsors such as Molave Sports Bistro, MMA-HEAD, and StarBods Gym, all gave out certain prizes to the winners of two special prizes, which are the "2nd Smoker Fight's Fight of the Night", and "2nd Smoker Fight's Fighter of the Night".
The award "2nd Smoker Fight's Fight of the Night" was given to the first fight card, the match between Jonathan Sumogat and Joachim Milana, and the second award, the "2nd Smoker Fight's Fighter of the Night" was given to the victor of the fourth match, Nier.
The number of amateur Stand up fighters here in Davao is beginning to increase in number, as can be seen in the number of participants who wanted to be a part of the 2nd "Smoker Fight", and hopefully, would continue to progress and increase in number in the future.
All in all, the second Stand-up "Smoker Fight" was a major success, and is just a glimpse of what the future "Smoker Fights" would be. See you guys on the next one!
Everyone passed the hat and the collections were given to the boxers of Almendras Gym..
