Michael Farenas

Farenas made his professional debut on September 19, 2004 against Octavio Olinar at the Sports and Cultural Complex in Mandaue, Philippines. The bout ended in a technical draw after 2 rounds.

On March 15, 2008, Farenas challenged Mexican boxer Baudel Cardenas in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez big fight at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. The Filipino prospect won the bout by a third-round technical knockout.[1] After knocking down Cardenas twice in the 2nd round, Farenas landed a vicious low blow in round 3. The Mexican was given five minutes to recover, but he could not continue, forcing the referee to stop the match.

In his next fight, Farenas moved to the super-featherweight division to face Fermin delos Santos. The two fought on May 17, 2008 at the Plaza Monumental in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The Filipino boxer defeated his foe via unanimous decision after 8 rounds. For the fight, the protégé of former WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Peñalosa trained under the guidance of Freddie Roach.[2]

Farenas won the World Professional Boxing Federation featherweight title on October 3, 2009 by stopping South Korean fighter Jae-Bong Jang in 9 rounds.

On March 13, 2010, Farenas was included in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey bout. He took on American boxer Joe Morales. The bout ended in a no contest after 2 round, because of an accidental clash of heads that opened a bad cut over Morales' right eye. This forced the ringside doctor to stop the bout.[3][4]

In his next bout, Farenas challenged Marlon "Rata" Aguilar of Nicaragua in the undercard of the Latin Fury 14 pay-per-view, which showcased the return of Antonio Margarito against Roberto Garcia in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The fight took place on May 8, 2010. Farenas lost by an eight-round unanimous decision and practically blew away his chance at a possible world title bout.[5]

Fareñas had difficulty handling Aguilar who had the edge during infighting sequences. The Filipino boxer tried to be more aggressive in the third but his momentum was hindered when he landed a low blow. In the 6th round, the referee deducted a point from Farenas for low blows and then again in round eight. The latter was falling way behind on points and needed a knockout to win but he didn't seem to have the energy or the inclination to try to get it done. Another low blow from the Filipino fighter interrupted the last round action.[6][7]

Farenas went on to win 7 straight fights after the Aguilar fight and a draw against Takashi Uchiyama for the WBA title. He then landed an undercard fight on the Pacquiao-Marquez 4 event on December 8, 2012. He fought highly regarded Yuriorkis Gamboa in a 12-round battle for the interim WBA strap. Farenas was knocked down twice but rallied to deliver a knockdown of his own in the 9th round. However, Farenas lost via unanimous decision.[8]

On April 27, 2013, Farenas fought an outmatched Gerardo Zayas whose record was 19-21-2. Farenas dropped Zayas three times in the first round en route to a TKO win against the journeyman.[9]