## HOSHINO WINS VACANT WBA 105-POUND TITLE BY UNANIMOUS DECISION OVER GAMBOA

January 29, 2002

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN-Slick-punching ex-champ Keitaro Hoshino (23-7, 6 KOs), 105, Japan, acquired the vacant WBA 105-pound belt as he cleverly covered himself up against harder shots of another ex-champ Joma Gamboa (31-7-1, 22 KOs), 104.75, Philippines, caught him with more accurate combinations and pounded out a unanimous verdict over 12.

Scored: Erkki Meronen (Finland) 117-112, Jean Louis Legland (France) 118-110, and Wansoo Yuh (Korea) 118-112, all for the 32-year-old Japanese. Referee was Pinit Prayadsab (Thailand).

The taller Gamboa attempted to outjab the shorter speedster from the start, but Hoshino averted them and retaliated with precision. Hoshino swept the 5th through 8th with busier combinations. Gamboa took the 9th, but the skillful Japanese regained his initiative in the 10th and 11th.

The Filipino, 28, tried to score a come-from-behind KO with big shots and threw very powerful blows to befuddle Hoshino, who, however, fought back with desperate combos in the closing seconds of the final session.

The loser Gamboa said, gHoshino was smart, and improved more than our first encounter in 2000. I will move up to the 108-pound division after this setback.h Hoshino repeated his triumph over the hard-punching but less skillful Gamboa.

Promoter: Hanagata Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.

WBA supervisor: Shigeru Kojima, Japan.

(1-29-02)

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