By Putra Permata Tegar

Daud Yordan kept his promise to knock out the Philippines’ Ronald Pontillas, sending his opponent to the floor in the fifth round at Pangsuma Stadium in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, last Saturday.

The win gave another credential to Daud, who claimed the interim World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific lightweight title. The win also paves his way to climb the WBO rankings.

“I’m happy with the way I won this fight. My strategy went well, and I managed to throw a big punch that knocked Pontillas out in the fifth round,” Daud said. “This win is for Indonesia and I hope I make my country proud.”

After a year without a fight, Daud didn’t look rusty as he fought aggressively from the opening bell. He dominated Pontillas in a close-range fight, and landed punches seemingly at will.

In round five, Daud cornered the 25-year-old Pontillas and sent him to the canvas, meeting his hopes of winning in less than 10 rounds.

It was his first knockout win since 2012, when he defeated Lorenzo Villanueva, also of the Philippines, to take the IBO world featherweight title.

Daud said he was very motivated after a frustrating year when his management failed to line up any fights.

“I couldn’t wait for this fight. Once I stepped into the ring, I wanted to show my skills and I’m happy I could do it,” said the 27-year-old, who got the full support of his hometown crowd.

His brother and trainer, Damianus Yordan, praised the improved performance.

“I think he’s been improving and is more mature than before. In the past, he sometimes couldn’t hold his nerve and was hot-blooded. Now, he’s calmer and wiser, yet remains aggressive,” Damianus said.

Daud has reunited with his brother after training under Australian Craig Christian last year. He has reclaimed his old form since then, Damianus said.

“His skills are better than before. He showed good defense, good attacking movement and good footwork. He also had good endurance,” Damianus said.

“He has returned to his natural style and his knockout instinct is back. Daud feels more comfortable in the lightweight division. I believe he’ll get better and better.”

With the win, Daud now has a record of 33 wins (24 by KO) and three losses.

Fight promoter Raja Sapta Oktohari said the win gave Daud a good start toward his new goal of a WBO world title shot.

“We’re glad with the win and it’s a good start for us. But we’re not satisfied yet. Our goal is to push him to be the WBO world champion in the near future. We will work hard as a team to achieve it,” Oktohari said.

“We will schedule another fight for March. But first we will evaluate his performance. Then we will start the discussion with the WBO and make a plan for the next fight.”