The 31 year-old has now halted three of his last five opponents with what turned out to be a dominant performance over Romero, 36, who buckled in the ninth round, leading to referee Mike Ortega relieving the challenger’s pressure.
‘Hawaiian Punch’ could now make his next defence against Rodel Mayol of the Philippines after the former WBC light-flyweight belt holder scored a ten-round win over Mexican Julio Cesar Miranda on the undercard.
‘Kid Rapido’ was surprisingly in control of the bout throughout in Pasig City and was given an emphatic decision by the three judges, who scored the contest 100-87, 99-90 and 97-91.
