FILIPINO flyweight prospect Joebert Alvarez made the same mistake as previously unbeaten super bantamweight Prince Albert Pagara and suffered a stunning first-round knockout against 24-year-old Miguel “No Fear” Cartagena of Philadelphia in Kissimmee Civic Center in Florida over the weekend.
Nicknamed “The Little Pacquiao,” Alvarez started aggressively and hammered Cartagena with solid jabs and straights early in Round 1. But Cartagena quickly turned the fight around when he floored Alvarez with a left hook late into the round.
And although Alvarez recovered, Cartagena connected with a flurry of punches to drop the Filipino one more time.
While Alvarez beat the count, he was clearly on wobbly legs and the referee promptly called a halt with 46 seconds remaining in the opening round.
The loss dropped Alvarez to 15-2-1 with 7 knockouts, while Cartagena improved to 15-3 with 6 knockouts.
Alvarez, who whose only previous setback was to WBO\/WBA flyweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada in a close battle, won the vacant WBO-North American Boxing Organization flyweight title with a smashing knockout of Jonathan Gonzalez in Puerto Rico last March.
Joebert’s trainer, Dodong Donaire, the trainer/father of five-division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire told The Standard: “He did pretty good and hurt the guy (Cartagena), he just jumped in there and tried to knock him out early in the round and went after Cartagena without protecting himself. It was a big mistake because that was not our strategy.”
Donaire lamented the fact that a title fight in September has to be put back.
“We have to start all over again,” said Donaire.