January 15, 2000
TOKYO, JAPAN-Unbeaten speedster KOHKI TANAKA(right photo), 107 1/2, acquired the
vacant OPBF light flyweight throne, as he showed good aggressiveness in
earlier rounds, piled up points and was declared a winner on a split but
well-received decision over Philippine champ LORITO LAROA(left photo), 108, midway
in the 8th round as Tanaka's gash caused by headbutts became worsened.
Scored: referee David Chung (Korea) 69-65 and Kazunobu Asao (Japan)
69-65 and 69-66 both for Tanaka, and Edwin Sese (Philippines) 68-65 for
Laroa.
WBC #29 ranked Tanaka, by far taller than the 5-foot Filipino lefty, dominated the first four session with his more accurate shots to the occasionally onrushing opponent.
A gash Tanaka sustained in the third became bigger as the contest progressed, since Laroa kept boring in from the head and there happened plenty of head-collisions. The referee sometimes gave warnings to Laroa, but when he was about to deduct a point, Tanaka's cut was diagnosed too bad for him to go on by the ringside physician.
Tanaka raised his unbeaten mark to 12-0-3, 7 KOs. Laroa dipped to 17-23-3, 3 KOs. Despite his mediocre credentials, he was really a Filipino national champ, and it was true that he showed his fighting spirit, if not his finesse.
Sensational KO artist, EUGENIO "YUJI" GOMEZ(right photo), 125 1/2, ran his unbeaten
mark to 7-0, 6 KOs, as he needed just 78 seconds of the opening canto to
demolish Filipino ULYSIS PUZON, 126, in a scheduled 8.
Gomez, a Puerto Rican living in Tokyo with his Japanese wife, made his
pro debut here, and won the All Japan final of the Shinjin-o (Novice
King) tournaments in the feather division on a first round demolition of
Jun Hirose on Dec. 18.
Gomez, already JBC #10 contender, will become a very popular boy with his tremendous power-punching. Probably no top notchers here will be willing to exchange gloves with this muscular dynamite. Puzon reportedly fell to 18-17-4, 7 KOs.
JBC #2 ranked middleweight SATORU SUZUKI(left photo), 158 1/2, scored a fine KO win over HITOSHI SAITO, 157 1/4, at 1:58 of the second round in a scheduled 8. The winner is 8-3, 5 KOs. The loser fell to 4-7-2, 2 KOs.
Hachiohji Nakaya Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(1-15-00)