August 27, 2000
Some 7,000 spectators, majority of whom were North Koreans living in Japan, were in attendance at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium to see the great upset. They were very jubilant on the underdog’s victory.
Scored: Lou Filippo (US) 119-107, Henry Elespuru (US) 117-109, and Dalby Shirley (US) 116-110, all for Tokuyama, 22-2-1, 5 KOs. The previously unbeaten Cho, making his 6th defense, suffered his first defeat and dropped to 18-1, 7 KOs.
Tokuyama, a North Korean born in Japan and ex-OPBF ruler, made a very good start as he aggressively attacked the cautious champ with sharp jabs, one-twos and left hooks to win a point. He maintained his good pace to dominate the first three rounds. Cho sustained a cut over the left eyebrow caused by a three-punch combination of Tokuyama in the second (so, no point was deducted from Tokuyama).
A trick happened in the fourth when Tokuyama landed a very well-timed left-right combination, dropping the champ on the seat of trunks in the closing seconds of the round. The groggy Cho barely raised himself to resume fighting to be rescued by the bell.
The champ desperately attacked to take back the initiative in the 5th, but couldn’t catch the faster opponent with precision. Tokuyama was in command in the 6th through 9th rounds with his fine display of accurate jabs and one-two combos to have the champ’s face swollen.
Cho furiously attempted to have the tide turn with solid punches, but Tokuyama remained elusive. The 11th saw a bad collision of heads with Cho streaming blood with his face in crimson. Referee Lupe Garcia (Mexico) penalized a point from Tokuyama due to an accidental butt based on the WBC rules and regulations.
Tokuyama finely dominated the last two rounds despite Cho’s fierce retaliations. It was a great surprise that the prohibitive favorite Cho, a conqueror of highly regarded Gerry Penalosa twice, lost his belt to the internationally unheralded Tokuyama, but it’s in the ring that anything could happen.
Tokuyama was born in Tokyo under his father Shiro Tokuyama, a stout-built teacher of karate, on September 17, 1974. After a brief amateur career of 12-5, only 2 KOs, he made a pro debut in 1994. Despite his failure to win the national flyweight title twice, the lanky speedster upset former stablemate and ex-two-time world champ Hiroki Ioka by a 5th round TKO in December, 1998 to his credit. He beat then WBA-rated compatriot Takuya Kiya in his next fight in Tokyo in April, 1999. Tokuyama seized the vacant OPBF 115-pound title on a split duke over Thailander Pone Saengmorakot last September. He retained the regional belt once by finishing Indonesian Jack Siahaya in two rounds this May.
Tokuyama had a very similar physique on the height, reach and lankiness with that of Cho. It might be unique that the North Korean won the world throne-for the first time in boxing history-from no one but the South Korean champ.
Prior to the main event, on behalf of national anthems, the famous song of wishing unification was sung together by two leading singers of North and South Koreans. This event was dedicated to the long anticipated unification of the divided nation.
Promoter: Kanazawa Promotions.
WBC supervisor: Frank Quill (Australia).
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(8-27-00)