March 11, 2001
March 11, 2001
TOKYO, JAPAN-Japanese southpaw Celes Kobayashi(right photo), 115, impressively captured the WBA super-flyweight title as he whipped the defending champ Leo Gamez, a 37-year-old Venezuelan, 113.75, all the way and finally scored a beautiful left counter to drop him on the deck, prompting referee Armando Garcia to intervene at 2:09 of the 10th round at Yokohama Arena.
The 5-ft champ had acquired four WBA crowns in as many categories, since he won the 105-pound belt in 1988, the 108-pound throne in 1993, the 112-pound diadem in 1999, and the 115-pound laurels last October to his credit. Gamez’s devastating power was recently shown in dismantling defending champ Hideki Todaka in 7 lopsided rounds in Nagoya, and it was his first defense of the WBA super-fly title since.
Kobayashi, 27, took the initiative with his persistent body bombardment from the outset, and Gamez covered himself up to wait for the openings. The aggressive Japanese made the Venezuelan start bleeding from the nostrils in the 4th, and opened a gash over the right optic with legal punches in the 5th. Gamez occasionally attempted to fight back with heavier punches, almost of which were blocked by Kobayashi’s tight guard.
The Japanese southpaw, in the 6th, brought him to the standstill as he landed solid lefts to the face and breadbasket with precision. Kobayashi was in command in the first 8 rounds. Gamez, however, turned loose in the 9th and surprisingly had the Japanese on the defensive with his furious assault. The Venezuelan showed his lion-heart and connected with strong rights to the face of Kobayashi, who was forced to use his footwork and desperately blocked and withstood the champ’s wicked shots. It appeared that the tide might turn from that point on.
In the fatal 10th, Gamez became more aggressive with his solid rights for a come-from-behind KO, but Kobayashi gamely retaliated with busy combinations to the face and midsection. They fiercely mixed up toe-to-toe in the center of the squared circle. Kobayashi’s countering left caught the button of the shorter Venezuelan, who sank on the deck with his face first and barely managed to stand up wobblingly. As Gamez was staggering so badly that the third man didn’t hesitate to declare a well-timed halt.
Scored after the 9th: Cesar Ramos (Puerto Rico) 89-82, Erkki Meronen (Finland) 89-83, and Minyoung Lee (Korea) 88-84, all for the lefty aggressor Kobayashi, 23-4-3, 14 KOs. Gamez, the four-time WBA champ, fell to 33-8-1, 25 KOs.
The newly crowned Kobayashi jubilantly said, “It’s like a dream that I became the world champ by a knockout. My corner instructed to go and fight in the 10th. Gamez was really a hard-puncher with his right hand.” The crestfallen ex-champ said, “Kobayashi was a good fighter. Having fought for 24 years, it’s time to hang up gloves for good. I wish to become an instructor for young boys in Venezuela.”
Kobayashi’s fistic career was previously colored with some disappointing setbacks in important bouts. He hit the deck and lost in his pro debut in 1992, dropped an 8-round decision to the current OPBF 105-pound champ Kazuhiro Ryuko, formerly an amateur star, in 1996, failed to win the Japanese national flyweight title from Nolito Suzuki Cabato twice until he finally dethroned the Japan-based Filipino in 1998. He also failed to win the WBC fly belt via split draw with a flashy Filipino Malcolm Tunacao in a furious give-and-take affair in Tokyo last August. Kobayashi isn’t a talented sharpshooter, but is a durable, well-educated and game boxer-puncher who has certainly learnt and improved through his bitter experiences.
Now Japan boasts of four world champs: WBA lightweight kingpin Takanori Hatakeyama, WBA minimum ruler Keitaro Hoshino, WBC super-fly champ Masamori Tokuyama, and WBA champ in the same division Celes Kobayashi.
Promoter: Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions, Inc.
(3-11-01)