October 9, 2006
TOKYO, JAPAN
Dethroned WBC interim 108-pound champ because of his overweight, Wandee Singwangcha (50-7-1, 10 KOs), 110.5, Thailand, badly sent Japanese southpaw and ex-OPBF ruler Munetsugu Kayo (14-2, 8 KOs), 107.75, sprawling to the deck in the seventh and pounded out a unanimous decision over twelve heats on Monday in Tokyo, Japan.
The official scorecards were as follows: Gary Merritt (US) and Harold Lawrence (Netherlands) both 116-111, and Guillermo Ayon (Mexico) 114-113, all for Wandee. The referee was Laurentino Ramirez (Mexico).
Kayo, handled by ex-WBA 108-pound champ Yoko Gushiken (who kept his belt thirteen times), made a good start and released light but sharp combinations to Wandee, who threw stronger blows but missed most of them in the first two rounds. Wandee, three years his senior at 26, shifted his target to the belly of fast-punching Kayo from the fourth, which paid off well to have Kayo slowing down. The Thailander, who failed to make the weight yesterday, was fresher than people expected, and was in command in four rounds from the fourth.
The seventh saw a highlight of this game, as Wandee caught Kayo with a vicious left hook and had him down on all fours. Though it looked to be over, Kayo barely pulled himself up to resume fighting. Wandee went all out for a kill, but Kayo gamely withstood his assault and desperately retaliated with busy combinations. Amazingly, it was Kayo that dominated the eighth and ninth as Wandee might have used too much of his energy only to throw a punch at a time.
People thought Kayo might be able to have the upper hand from the eighth onward to overcome his deficits on points by the seventh-round knockdown. Wandee, however, recuperated well and turned loose with heavier left-right combos, so Kayo had to keep circling to avoid mixing it up in the tenth. The Thailander landed more effective body shots to the fading Kayo, winning the last three sessions. Kayo’s right cheek was grotesquely swollen due to his absorption of the lethal left hook in the seventh, and apparently looked like a loser.
The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) examined the weight of both contestants just before the fight, and Wandee was some three pounds over the Japanese. Wandee, in the ring, obviously appeared more muscular and more powerful than the skinny and light-punching Kayo, as if it was an overmatched affair between a 112-pounder and a 108-pounder. It left a bad aftertaste among the audience that appreciated their difference of power.
Now that the already dethroned ex-champ Wandee won the game, the WBC interim 108-pound title may lapse accordingly. Omar Nino of Mexico, who upset Brian Viloria this August, becomes the sole and legitimate WBC 108-pound titleholder without having to meet an interim champ.
WBA#8/WBC#13 Japanese super-bantam champ Daisuke Yamanaka (20-2, 14 KOs), 122, proved more energetic and aggressive for WBA#5/WBC#11 Shoji Kimura (19-2-1, 7 KOs), 122, to win a majority but popular decision (97-93, 97-94 and 96-96) over ten. Yamanaka landed a big left hook on the guard of Kimura, who went down to be counted by the ref in the second. Rare enough, it was reversed to a slip after the session due to the unanimous disagreement of the judges. It was a good move by democracy. Yamanaka swept four rounds from the seventh to confirm his victory thanks to his continual aggression.
Promoter: Shirai Gushiken Promotions.
(10-9-06)