January 29, 2006
FUKUOKA, JAPAN-Tall Japanese southpaw Takashi Koshimoto (39-1-2, 17 KOs), 126, surprisingly captured the WBC featherweight belt as he made best use of his vaunted footwork, frustrated defending champ Injin Chi (30-3-1, 18 KOs), from Korea, and withstood his last surge to be awarded a hairline split verdict over twelve heats on Sunday afternoon in Fukuoka, Japan. The official tallies were as follows: Burt Clements (US) 114-113, Noparat Sricharoen (Thailand) 115-112, both for Koshimoto, and Omar Mintum (Mexico) 116-111 for Chi. The referee was Malcolm Bulner (Australia).
It’s such a close affair as either could be the victor. Koshimoto dominated the earlier stage of the contest with his smart outboxing, and Chi started his engine from the fifth round on, but Koshimoto was in command in the tenth. Fortunately enough, the Japanese challenger suffered a cut over the right eyebrow caused by an accidental butt, which cost Chi a penalty of a point in the eleventh. But for the one-point deduction the tally of Clements would have been 114-114, which would have made Chi keep the belt on a split draw.
The 5’10” southpaw Japanese made a good start in the opening canto, but Chi fought back with busy combinations to have the first session scored in favor of either. Koshimoto, 35, dominated the second through four rounds by utilizing his footwork and southpaw stance, as he occasionally scored light but accurate southpaw lefts to the less aggressive champ. It seemed strange that Chi, well-known by his ferocity and fireworks, remained cautious and cool without throwing many punches in earlier rounds. Obviously Chi wasn’t what he used to be-perhaps because of his overconfidence or poor conditioning.
Strongly encourage by his cornermen, Chi, 32, began to apply the pressure to the elusive footworker in the fifth. The Korean maintained his strategy until the ninth, though Koshimoto occasionally scored countering lefts to the onrushing champ. The tenth saw Koshimoto turn loose with good one-two combinations and keep himself aggressive for three minutes, while Chi looked content to avert the taller challenger’s attacks with weaving and ducking without throwing back many punches to save his stamina.
The eleventh was eventually a turning point, as the third man deducted a point from the champ after Koshimoto’s gash by an unintentional butt because of the WBC’s rules and regulations. Koshimoto desperately fought and won a point on the two judges’ scorecards, which were equivalent to a 10-8 round with the penalty. Though Chi paid all his energy left to win the last round, Koshimoto endured his desperate attack to last the final session.
Now Koshimoto became the first ringman that seized the world belt out of Kyushu island of Japan. The crowd had its feet when the verdict in favor of the local prospect was declared. Some people cried and wept for joy, since they have been anticipating the very first champ there. All the audience experienced the emotional and ecstatic moment in celebrating the new titlist. Now Japan has had five world champs of Koshimoto, Hasegawa (WBC bantam), Tokuyama (WBC superfly), Eagle (WBC minimum) and Niida (WBA minimum). Anyway, the 35-year-old workman became the oldest Japanese boxer that acquired the world throne today.
Promoter: Fukuoka Promotions.
WBC supervisor: Chandru Lalwani (Indonesia).
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(1-29-06)