## WBC #4 RANDY SUICO ACQUIRES OPBF 130-POUND BELT AND WBC #14 WELTER SANTILLAN SINKS CHOI IN 4

April 27, 2002

CEBU, PHILIPPINES-Unbeaten WBC #5 ranked Filipino Randy Suico (17-0, 14 KOs), 129.5, acquired the vacant OPBF super-feather belt as he outjabbed and outpunched ex-OPBF light champ Sungho Yuh (13-3-1, 7 KOs), 137.5, Korea, so badly as to have his left eye too swollen to go on at the end of the 6th round at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu, Philippines.

Yuh, who had failed to win the WBC throne via first round demolition by Jose Luis Castillo last June, shamefully couldnft make the stipulated weight of 130, so even if he should have won, the regional belt would have been vacant.

Scored after the 6th: referee Bruce McTavish (New Zealand) and Nick Giongco (Philippines) both 60-54, and Dongok Lee (Korea) 59-56, all for Suico, the tall hard-puncher called gFilipino Hands of Stone.h

The stocky Korean attempted to short work of the 22-year-old prospect, and attacked roughly using his whirlwind hands, head, and wrestling tactics as well. Suico coolly kept oujabbing the desperate brawler and saw him slowing down as it progressed. He had the fading Korean at bay with rapier jabs and solid rights to the face in the 6th. Yuh, whose left optic was grotesquely swollen, abruptly quit in his corner.

The OPBF belt was vacated by Tiger Ari, a 35-year-old veteran lefty, who preferred fighting for a vacant IBO belt by renouncing his regional title to accepting the upcoming KO artist Suicofs mandatory shot. Ari failed to win the IBO crown due to his 6th round TKO defeat by Cassius Baloyi in the 6th in South Africa on April 17.

Unbeaten Filipino lefty Rev Santillan (15-0-1, 12 KOs), 147, kept his OPBF welter belt when he withstood furious retaliation of top ranked Korean champ Yonghwa Choi (8-1-1, 1 KO), 146.5, and landed a wicked southpaw one-two combo to sink him for the count at 0:46 into the 4th session.

The elongated Filipino, making his third defense, started fireworks in the first, but Choi came out fighting toe-to-toe and slugging it out in the second. The unbeaten Korean almost toppled the champ with a flurry of punches, but Santillan scored a come-from-behind right-left to have him drop down on all fours. Choi couldnft raise himself only to be counted out by referee Bruce McTavish, who made history by covering a couple of OPBF title bouts by himself.

Scored after the third: referee McTavish (New Zealand) 29-28 for Santillan, Dongok Lee (Korea) 30-28 for Choi, and Teddy Alivio (Philippines) 29-29. It was such a competitive fight.

Promoter: Rex Wakee Salud International.

Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.

(4-27-02)

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