Vincent Astrolabio repeatedly trained the punch that knocked down foe in title eliminator

One-time world title challenger Vincent Astrolabio religiously trained the punch that eventually got him a stoppage over Nawaphon Kaikanha in his WBC bantamweight title eliminator bout earlier today at Suamlum Night Bazaar in Bangkok, Thailand.

Astrolabio (19-4, 14Kos) dominated the early going only to see his gritty Thai opponent push the pace in the middle rounds. Come round 11, Astrolabio landed a perfectly-timed right hand that sent his foe to the canvas before getting officially stopped with a barrage of punches.

“I really worked hard to get a knockout because you never know if it goes to a decision. We expected to finish him with that punch. Though we did not rely on that, we looked for openings and timed him,” Astrolabio said in an interview on Sparring Sessions.

“I told Vincent to stay focused and not lose confidence because his opponent is easy to hit. We have been training the overhand and right straight. We knew that was how we can get Kaikanha, and it did,” Astrolabio’s coach Nonoy Neri added.

Now a contender again, Astrolabio will soon have a date with destiny against the reigning WBC world bantamweight champion Alexandro Santiago, who defeated Nonito Donaire Jr. in his last fight to capture the title.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News