Indonesian boxer Chris “the Dragon” John won his match against Fernando David Saucedo of Argentina in a unanimous decision to defend his WBA featherweight super champion title for the 13th time Sunday.
The panel of judges ruled in favor of Chris, giving him 119-109, 119-109 and 120-108 points for the bout at the Bung Karno Indoor Tennis Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
“I thank everyone for the support. Saucedo had good stamina, so did I. He was very defensive. I refrained myself from being emotional,” said Chris.
In an earlier bout, Daud “Cino” Jordan took only 19 seconds to knock out Damian David Marchiano of Argentina at the WBO Asia Pacific title fight.
The 23-year-old Indonesian floored Marchiano with a left hook that landed on the Argentinean’s right cheek.
It was Daud’s first victory after his defeat to Celestine Caballero of Panama in April in the United States.
Youth and Sports Affairs Minister Andi Mallarangeng praised Chris but said Indonesia needed more younger boxers. “This week is a good week for Indonesia’s sports. We won in soccer and boxing. It’s good.”
Both Chris and Saucedo exchanged punches in early rounds, although the 31-year-old Chris was more dominant. Saucedo managed to fight more aggressively in the fourth and fifth rounds, making the match slightly more interesting.
Chris — who has never knocked out his rivals despite his impressive record — seemed more emotional in the sixth round, losing accuracy with his hooks and straights, while Saucedo’s double cover was tight.
Although Chris had said earlier that he would knock out Saucedo before the 10th round, it was obvious that the Argentinean would not easily give up.
The Indonesian did not change his style in the next rounds, but even though he was dominant, Chris did not have a killing punch that could floor his opponent.
Sunday’s victory brought Chris‘ record to 44 wins and two draws compared to Saucedo’s 38 victories, five defeats and two draws.
Chris’ match had been slated to take place in May. However, it had to be postponed after he suffered a rib injury during training.
His last title defense was in September 2009 in a rematch against Rocky Juarez of the US in Las Vegas. He beat Juarez in a unanimous decision. The rematch was staged following a controversial draw between the two in an earlier match in February 2009.
Chris was crowned the WBA interim world champion for the first time in 2003. He is one of the few world boxing champions able to stretch his reign for seven consecutive years.
