June 16, 2000
TOKYO, JAPAN-Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions, the most influential
promoter here in Japan, has announced today that he will promote a dual
world title bout at Ryogoku Sumo Arena in Tokyo on August 20.
The main event will be the WBC flyweight title bout between defending champ Malcolm Tunacao of the Philippines and WBC #12 ranked Japanese national titlist Celes Kobayashi. It will be a very competitive match-up. Tunacao, 22, stunned the boxing world as he unexpectedly captured the WBC throne by battering the defending champ Medgoen Kratingdaeng-Gym en route to a 7th round stoppage at Udon Thani, Thailand, on May 19. The unbeaten Filipino southpaw, 11-0, 7 KOs, is a stylish boxer, having acquired the national amateur championship in 4 successive years prior to his entry into the paid ranks.
Celes, whose real name is Shoji Kobayashi, is also a lefty, but his style is quite different from the champ's. The 27-year-old Kobayashi, 22-4-2, 13 KOs, is a very durable and energetic boxer-puncher who kept his national diadem 4 times since he dethroned Japan-based Filipino Nolito Suzuki Cabato in September, 1998. Previously he was a give-and-take battler, but he lately made a remarkable technical improvement as he displayed a fine boxing skill and tight defense in retaining his Japanese title by dropping Hayato Asai time and again to flatten him in the 7th in the Carnival of Champions on April 2.
Tunacao may be faster and more skillful, but Kobayashi is more durable and hard-hitting. We shall see a very good fight of the excellent lefties.
Another world title go will be an anticipated WBA minimumweight unification title bout between champion Noel Arambulet of Venezuela and interim champ Joma Gamboa over 12 rounds. It will be their grudge fight.
The WBA stripped Ricardo Lopez of his WBA 105-pound title when he decided to fight Will Grigsby in a quest for the IBF 108-pound throne last October, and sanctioned an elimination bout between Arambulet and Gamboa in Caracas, Venezuela, on October 9 last. Arambulet kept moving around all night and gained the vacant title on a unanimous nod.
The Venezuelan footworker was slated to defend his title against Satoru Abe in Nagoya, Japan, on Dec. 4, but abruptly became unable to come and fight him due to bad virus infection. The WBA approved an interim title bout between Abe and Gamboa, a very late substitute on a 10-day notice, with the latter amazingly winning on a 6th round KO.
The WBA urged Arambulet and Gamboa to fight again to unify the 105-pound title, but the then #1 contender Jose Garcia, Colombia, strongly claimed his priority to fight Arambulet since Garcia previously beat Arambulet on a split duke in the Fedelatin title bout in Colombia on April 10 of the previous year.
Arambulet, on March 4, whipped Garcia to avenge his sole setback by a unanimous verdict in Venezuela on March 4. As the interim champ Gamboa was forced to wait for his turn to fight Arambulet, he was allowed to defend his "interim" title against Japan's Atsushi Sai and unanimously outscored him on April 9.
Although Arambulet suffered a right hand injury in his previous rematch with Garcia, he has completely recovered and welcomes this opportunity to fight Gamboa again in Tokyo, the mecca of boxing in Asia. Arambulet, whose amateur mark is 128-16, compiled a pro ledger of 11-1-1-1NC, 7 KOs. Gamboa, a year his senior at 27, is 28-5-1, 20 KOs. It will also be a very interesting match-up between the skillful boxer and the hard-puncher.
It is very rare that we, in Japan, see a world title bout of foreign boxer without a Japanese boy involved, but it became possible only by Honda who remarkably controls the TV media much more dominantly than Bob Arum, Don King or HBO do in the US. Both Arambulet and Gamboa are under the promoitonal agreements with Honda's Teiken Promotions.
Anyway, it's good news that we'll be able to see a very competitive doubleheader here in Japan thanks to Mr. Honda's influential coordination. He produced the dual title go just in a week. "Only in Japan" by Honda.