Cañete, Tamayo fall short against Kazakh foes

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Filipino boxers Benny “The Bull” Cañete and Gary Tamayo came up short against hometown opponents after suffering separate decision losses in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Sunday, July 26.

Cañete, a native of Siquijor, put up a spirited performance despite accepting the fight on short notice against reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) Asia bantamweight champion Yelshat Nikhemttolla.

Although Cañete lost on the scorecards, he emerged as the more disciplined fighter at the weigh-in after making the contracted weight. Nikhemttolla, meanwhile, was stripped of his WBA Asia bantamweight title after coming in overweight, leaving the championship vacant despite winning the bout.

Nikhemttolla was originally scheduled to face Thailand’s Tanes Ongjunta, who withdrew after suffering a hand injury in training. Cañete was tapped by the WBA as a late replacement and accepted the challenge despite being officially announced as the new opponent only on July 17.

Bold move

Cañete and his trainer, Jerry Castroverde, traveled to Kazakhstan despite the limited preparation and uncertainty surrounding the opportunity.

The Filipino pushed the previously unbeaten Kazakh champion through the distance, turning what many expected to be a routine hometown victory into a competitive contest. Both fighters finished the bout bruised and visibly exhausted.

The defeat dropped Cañete’s record to 13-3 with eight knockouts, while Nikhemttolla improved to 21-0 with eight knockouts.

Tamayo’s fall

Meanwhile, Tamayo also fell by unanimous decision to unbeaten Kazakh prospect Samatali Toltayev in the undercard.

Tamayo slipped to 11-5-1 with five knockouts, while Toltayev remained undefeated at 8-0 with four knockouts.

Like Cañete, Tamayo refused to back down and pushed his unbeaten opponent in a hard-fought, toe-to-toe contest that proved far from the one-sided victory many expected.

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