March 19, 2000
NAGOYA, JAPAN-Former WBA super-fly champ JESUS "KIKI" ROJAS, 115,
withstood the furious opening attack of Japan's top ranked flyweight
contender HIDEYASU ISHIHARA, 115, took back the initiative with his
crafty counterpunching and finally sank him for the counter with a
single left hook at 3:05 of the 7th round.
The 36-yer-old Venezuelan veteran displayed his finesse in averting the lefty Ishihara's aggression, weaving and blocking in an artful fashion. Ishihara, 24, won the first two rounds with his remarkable aggressiveness.
Rojas, however, solved Ishihara's fierce but a bit monotonous attack, and scored good counters to have him retreating in the third and fourth. Rojas landed a right-left combo, dropping him on the deck in the 5th. It's a flash knockdown, but Ishihara was so obviously effected by his visit to the floor and went on to win the 6th with his too furious and exhaustive attack. Rojas remained cool in pacing himself as he averted Ishihara's powerful but less accurate rallies.
The 7th witnessed Rojas explode a picture-perfect left hook and sank him on the deck. The impact was such that Ishihara was unable to raise himself even after referee Masakazu Uchida tolled the fatal ten. It was such a clearcut knockout as this reporter ever saw since Mexican counterpuncher Jose Medel disposed of Mitsunori Seki in 1961.
Rojas, WBA's No.4 ranked contender, raised his mark to 33-8-3-1NC, 16 KOs. Ishihara, formerly an amateur star, fell to 4-2, 3 KOs.
Fast-rising YOSUKE OHTSUKA, Japan's No.7 ranked super-light, 140 1/2, ran his unbeaten mark to 10-0, 9 KOs with his impressive stoppage of WONSEO KOO, Korean top ranked contender, 140 3/4, at 1:25 of the 7th in a scheduled 10.
Ohtsuka, having won the best Novice Tournament Winner Award in 1998, swept all rounds before the TKO victory, droping him once in the 6th and twice more in the fatal 7th. Ohtsuka utilized his left hand well and overwhelmed the Korean prospect. Koo, who had shown a good performance though losing to world-rated Hiroyuki Sakamoto on a 7th round KO last June, fell to 4-2, 2 KOs.
Promoter: Matsuda Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(3-19-00)
PS Hideyasu Ishihara was ambitious enough to try to beat the previous record in Japan. The 5'7" lanky southpaw is a tremendous hard-hitter whose amateur mark was 49-11, 33 stoppages. Ishihara, in his pro debut, beat the then Japanese national champ Nolito "Suzuki" Cabato in 6 rounds in May, 1998. He attempted to seize the national title in his third pro bout, beating the previous records of James Callaghan, Modest "Yushin" Napuni, Akinobu Hiranaka and Joichiro Tatsuyoshi having won the national belt in their 4th bouts. Ishihara failed to win the Japanese fly title as he exhausted in his fierce opening attack and finally succumbed at the hand of the defending champ Celes Kobayashi in the 7th in Tokyo in March of the previous year.
Koji Matsuda, formerly handling a couple of world champs Kiyoshi Hatanaka and Yasuei Yakushiji, seemed a bit too eager to produce another world titlist. He employed an excellent Korean trainer Hwaryong Yuh to make him coach and re-establish Ishihara to the stardom. Ishihara demolished veteran Filipino Rudy Idano in 4 and Thai champ Panomdej Ohyuthanakorn in one to his credit. Some criticized Matsuda's matchmaking of Ishihara against such an experienced ringman as Jesus Rojas, but Matsuda forcibly had his original plan go on. It's to make Ishihara win the world title in his 7th pro bout to beat the record of Joichiro Tatsuyoshi winning it in his 8th bout, Yoko Gushiken and Hiroki Ioka in their 9th. Now it's time for Matsuda to have Ishihara take a rest and re-cultivate this talented hard-hitter so that he will be more experienced in the paid ranks.
End