FIVE FILIPINOS are set to show their wares at Ringstar Boxing’s “Ridhwan Ambunda II — The Rematch,” to be held on March 29, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Led by IBO World Bantamweight champion Michael “Gloves on Fire” Dasmariñas (28-2-1), whose fight will be the co-main event. Dasmariñas is set to face fellow Pinoy Kenny “Big Heart” Demecillo (14-4-2), who hails from Cebu City, for an IBF World Title Eleminator fight. This will also be Michael Dasmariñas’ fourth fight under Ringstar’s banner.
The pride of Camarines Sur, whose gloves were burned when he was 9-year-old by a relative, in an attempt to dissuade him from boxing, has come a long way, and has been grabbing headlines in recent months. More so, when he won the IBO World Bantamweight title belt last April, also in Singapore.
Demecillo on the other hand, was formerly WBF Intercontinental Bantamweight champion, and also a former 2-time WBF Asia Pacific Bantamweight Champion.
Ringstar’s Founder & CEO Scott Farrell, says, “The world is starting to know that Michael “Gloves on Fire” Dasmariñas does have a lot of power, and a good chin. As a fighter, Michael has shown that he is vulnerable against a busy fighter. But that’s the only real hard criticism I have about him. In the past, he hasn’t been recognized or celebrated as much as the other world champions from the Philippines, and often overlooked. But now, that he is with Ringstar, this is changing rapidly, and Michael and his fights are receiving global interest. I truly believe Michael has the talent to go all the way, but he needs to focus more on his craft, and improve another 1000%, if he is truly going to be a world-renowned great fighter.”
The other Filipinos who are set to figure in the fight card are, 25-year-old Reymond Yanong (9-4-1), who is set to face New Zealand’s Cairo George (16-1-0), for the WBC Asia Silver Super Lightweight Title; 32-year old Rey “The Future” Caitom (7-0-1), who will face India’s Hans Raj Takur (3-1-0) for the Light Flyweight Division. And 26-year-old Lorenz Michael “Magic Mike” Romarante, (11-1-1), who will face Japan’s 28-year old Yuya “The Problem” Nakamura (9-2-1), for the Super Flyweight division.
Tickets range from $38-$118 and go on sale Feb. 1, at www.sportshub.com.sg/Ridhwan-Ambunda VIP Ringside Sofa Seats are at $1,888 comes with uninterrupted views of the ring and a personalized butler service with free flow drinks. Early Bird discounts of 30% off all tickets.

ABU DHABI — Striker Ahmed Khalil converted an extra-time (ET) penalty to send the United Arab Emirates into the Asian Cup quarter-finals with a 3-2 win over Kyrgyzstan on Monday, keeping alive their hopes of landing the continental title on home soil.
The substitute’s 102^nd minute spot kick had enough power to find the net despite goalkeeper Kutman Kadyrbekov getting a hand on it and set up a last-eight meeting with holders Australia in a rematch of the 2015 semi-final.
After an early goal from Khamis Esmaeel was cancelled out by Kyrgyzstan’s Mirlan Murzaev, it looked like Ali Mabkhout’s 64^th minute strike was going to settle the match for the hosts until Tursunali Rustamov’s dramatic stoppage-time equalizer.
Alberto Zaccheroni’s side know they will need to lift their game considerably to achieve their dream of winning the title back at the same stadium on Feb. 1 after making such heavy work of the hard-working but limited Asian Cup debutants.
ESMAEEL STRIKES
A small 17,784 crowd turned out on an unusually cool evening in the Emirati capital but the vast Zayed Sports City arena was brought to life in the 14^th minute when the hosts took the lead.
Ismail Matar swung a corner into the box, defender Khalifa Mubarak rose well to head the ball goalwards and Esmaeel nodded it home from close range.
Kyrgyzstan were level 12 minutes later when Akhlidin Israilov’s pass put Murzaev through on goal and he took one touch to control the ball and another to take him past the keeper before slotting it into the net from a wide angle.
The Emiratis had struggled in front of goal throughout the group stage and the usually reliable Mabkhout headed wide from three metres a minute after halftime.
He made amends with his eighth Asian Cup goal after the hour mark, however, needing one touch to control Amer Abdulrahman’s pass before rifling the ball into the net.
Kyrgyzstan defender Tamirlan Kozubaev should have equalized seven minutes later but somehow steered his shot wide from point-blank range although the Central Asians would not be denied and finally levelled from a stoppage-time corner.
Rustamov was gifted an extraordinary amount of space inside the six-yard box and the midfielder made no mistake with his header to send the match into extra time.
The home side made the brighter start to the extra period and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot when Mabkhout fell under a challenge from Bekzhan Sagynbaev leaving Khalil to put away the penalty.
Kyrgyzstan then twice hit the woodwork but to the host nation’s relief they were unable to snatch a third equaliser.
RYAN THE HERO AS AUSTRALIA BEAT UZBEKISTAN IN SHOOTOUT
Australia goalkeeper Maty Ryan earned the Asian Cup holders a quarter-final place with two saves in the shootout to see off Uzbekistan 4-2 on penalties after the match finished goalless following extra time on Monday.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ryan denied Islom Tukhtakhujaev and Dostonbek Khamdamov to leave Mathew Leckie to score the winning spot kick and take the Socceroos into the last eight.
Australia deserved to progress after dominating the second half and most of extra time in the 0-0 stalemate as they kept their hopes of retaining the title on track.
It was Uzbekistan, however, who had made the early running and Ryan was called into action after just 10 minutes as Eldor Shomurodov burst past Trent Sainsbury to force the Premier League keeper to block his close-range shot.
Australia carried little threat, with Aziz Behich registering their only goal attempt in the opening 45 minutes when he tried his luck from outside the area, and Uzbek keeper Ignatiy Nesterov had few problems.
Javokhir Sidikov flashed a long-range effort narrowly wide of Ryan’s goal and Khamdamov should have done better when he was found by Shomurodov with time and space.
The Socceroos pressed in the second half, with Rhyan Grant heading over from an acute angle when Milos Degenek’s diagonal ball found him unmarked behind the Uzbekistan defence having moments earlier sent another header into the hands of Nesterov.
Uzbekistan’s keeper was now seeing all the action, and he was forced to deny Leckie nine minutes after the Hertha Berlin winger came off the bench before pushing Tom Rogic’s deflected strike from outside the area wide for a corner.
Australia continued to be frustrated when the game went into extra time with Chris Ikonomidis, Leckie and Rogic all going close before the extra period drifted towards penalties.
In the shootout, Behich saw his penalty saved by Nesterov before Tukhtakhujaev’s attempt was kept out by Ryan, and the Australia keeper then denied Khamdamov in the penultimate round to leave Leckie to wrap up the win. — Reuters

MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic struck back for the old guard at the Australian Open early on Tuesday, soaking up the pressure from an impressive Daniil Medvedev before crushing the young Russian 6-4 6-7(5) 6-2 6-3 to reach his 10^th quarter-final at Melbourne Park.
The night after Roger Federer was stunned by Greek tyro Stefanos Tsitsipas, there was another sniff of an upset at Rod Laver Arena as 22-year-old Medvedev rocked the Serb with a furious assault of power hitting.
Yet the Russian wearied in the constant attrition during Monday’s fourth round match, and top seed Djokovic ended up cruising to victory soon after midnight, having passed easily his biggest test at what had been a sweat-free tournament.
The world number one did not emerge entirely unscathed, however, and was troubled by a back strain in the last set.
Djokovic will continue his bid for a hat-trick of successive Grand Slam triumphs and a record seventh title at Melbourne Park against eighth seed Kei Nishikori, who squeezed past Pablo Carreno Busta in a five-set epic.
Federer’s exit on Sunday has been widely touted as a changing of the guard and Tsitsipas’s victory an inspiration for the Tour’s upstarts.
Fifteenth seed Medvedev was certainly up to continue the theme and it took a lunging backhand drop-shot from Djokovic to save a break point in the fifth game.
The rangy Russian fought back from a break down but double-faulted to give up a set point and Djokovic sealed it with a forehand winner down the line. — Reuters

LOS ANGELES — The National Football League was facing up to its latest controversy on Monday after an egregious non-call by referees during the NFC championship game likely robbed the New Orleans Saints of a Super Bowl berth.
The missed pass interference call that denied the Saints a chance to run down the clock and kick a game-winning field goal comes at the tail-end of a season that began with NFL players’ anthem protests.
“REFFING UNBELIEVABLE,” screamed the front page headline of New Orleans’ Times-Picayune newspaper on Monday in reference to Sunday’s officiating blunder that many in the American football world consider one of the worst no-calls in NFL history.
Even an electronic highway sign above the Pontchartrain Causeway outside New Orleans was changed after the National Football Conference championship game to read: “We Were Robbed.”
The controversy started when Los Angeles cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman barreled into Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis with a helmet-to-helmet hit well before the pass arrived inside the Rams’ 5-yard line.
Had the penalty been called, the Saints would have had a first-and-goal situation with under two minutes left and could have run out almost all of the clock and set up a game-winning field goal.
But the Saints instead kicked a field goal and the Rams had enough time to tie the game with a field goal of their own before going on to win the game 26-23 in overtime. — Reuters