October 8, 2000
NAGOYA, JAPAN-The official weigh-in for the WBA super-flyweight mandatory title bout between Hideki Todaka(right photo) (Japan) and No.1 contender Leo Gamez (Venezuela) was over at Westin Nagoya Castle Hotel.
October 8, 2000
NAGOYA, JAPAN-The official weigh-in for the WBA super-flyweight mandatory title bout between Hideki Todaka(right photo) (Japan) and No.1 contender Leo Gamez (Venezuela) was over at Westin Nagoya Castle Hotel.
Todaka scaled in at 115-pound class limit, and Gamez 114 3/4.
The officials were announced at the press conference of the previous day through Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) as follows: referee Stanley Christodoulou (South Africa), judges Oscar Perez (New York), Hector Hernandez (Mexico) and Melchior Taylor (Trinidad Tobago). WBA Supervior is Yangsup Shim (Korea).
Todaka, making his third defense, is a prohibitive favorite over the 37-yer-old veteran Gamez, 32-7-1, 24 KOs, but Gamez is aiming to establish a record of acquiring his 4th WBA title in as many weight classes. Todaka, 10 yeas his junior and 16-2-1, 7 KOs, is fresh from his previous defense over ex-WBA champ Yokthai Sith-Oar via 11th TKO last April. But the Venezuelanfs superior experience and still dangerous power punching cannot be neglected, so Todaka will have to fight carefully in earlier rounds.
The main event will start at about 4:25 pm (Japanese time) at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium tomorrow.
(10-8-00)
October 7, 2000
TOKYO, JAPAN-WBC #9 ranked Korean Yongin Cho, 122, kept boring in, swinging and stalking ex-champ Shin Yamato, 122, despite the Japanese southpawfs occasional counters, and was awarded a split technical decision at 0:47 of the 10th round to retain his OPBF super-bantam title.
In their first encounter Cho had retired Yamato after the 8th despite the formerfs problematic shot after the bell to end the 7th, dropping the defending champ here last June. The OPBF headquarters sanctioned a rare direct rematch because of the strong protest of Yamatofs management.
Yamato kept circling to avert Chofs roundhouse non-stop swings, but failed to score effective counters enough to win more points than the rough-and-tumble Korean.
A bad collision of heads happened soon after the 10th started, and Yamato bled too profusely to go on. A technical verdict was taken as follows:
Referee: Pinit Prayadsab (Thailand) 87-84 for Cho
Judge: Manshik Cho (Korea) 88-85 for Cho
Judge: Ken Morita (Japan) 87-86 for Yamato
This victory raised Chofs credentials to 11-2, 6 KOs. WBC #18 ranked Yamato fell to 16-4-4, 4 KOs.
WBC #3 ranked super-feather Kengo Nagashima, 130, scored his 17th consecutive win and improved his mark to 18-1-1, 11 KOs as he dropped Korean #5 ranked feather Jongbong Lee, 130, twice in the opening canto and finally finished him at 0:22 of the 4th round.
The slick-punching Nagashima, ex-OPBF 130-pound champ, dug heavy body shots to send him sprawling to the deck twice in the first, and it was a matter time when Nagashima would bring home the bacon.
A very solid southpaw left of Nagashima, the promoter Kiyoshifs son, sunk him in agony with the towel fluttering from his corner. (A towel-tossing during the refereefs count has it registered as a KO, not a TKO, here in Japan.) Lee impaired to 8-6, 6 KOs.
Promoter: 18 Koga Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(10-7-00)