By REYNALD MAGALLON
Eman Bacosa Pacquiao came up short in his bid to capture the Philippine Boxing Federation (PBF) lightweight championship after dropping a majority decision to Rodelyn Perez at the DRT Sports Complex in Muntinlupa City on Sunday, June 21.
Perez avenged his majority decision loss to Pacquiao in their first meeting in 2024 by flooring the young boxer three times en route to the victory. One judge scored the bout even at 75-75, while the other two had it 76-73 and 75-74, both in favor of Perez.
Pacquiao was first sent to the canvas in the second round after Perez trapped him in the corner and connected with a crushing left hand before following up with a flurry of punches. Perez continued to dominate in the third round, scoring two more knockdowns, the last coming after a pair of heavy left hands landed flush on Pacquiao.
To his credit, Pacquiao rallied in the closing rounds and managed to land several solid shots of his own, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
The defeat snapped Pacquiao’s eight-fight winning streak as he dropped to an 8-2-1 record. Perez improved to 6-4 and claimed the PBF lightweight title.Ema
