October 15, 2008
October 15, 2008
TOKYO, JAPAN
Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions will present a world title twinbill tomorrow (Thursday) at Yoyogi No.1 National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan. It features a dual confrontation of Japanese versus Mexican. WBC featherweight champ Oscar Larios (63-6-1, 40 KOs), Mexico, will put his belt on the line against unbeaten up-and-coming southpaw Takahiro Aoh (16-0-1, 8 KOs) over twelve rounds. Also, WBC bantam ruler Hozumi Hasegawa (24-2, 8 KOs), a slick-punching southpaw, will risk his throne against younger Mexican prospect, WBC#2 Alejandro Valdez (21-2-1, 15 KOs), also a lefty, over twelve.
A weigh-in ceremony took place at the Korakuen Hall, where Larios and Aoh both tipped the beam at the 126-pound class limit. Hasegawa scaled in at the 118-pound limit to 117.5 for Valdez. The ceremony was so efficiently conducted by the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) that it ended in just three minutes.
The WBC officials are as follows:
For the Larios-Aoh feather title bout: referee Vic Drakulich; judges Duane Ford, David Sutherland and Hubert Minn (all from the US).
For the Hasegawa-Valdez bantam title go: referee Mike Griffin (Canada); judges Dune Ford (US), Hubert Minn (US) and Bruce McTavish (Philippines).
The supervisor for both title bouts is WBC president Jose Sulaiman from Mexico.
Oscar Larios, a 31-year-old gallant and aggressive Mexican, has been unbeaten on five occasions here in Japan, having kept his 122-pound belt against Manabu Fukushima, Kozo Ishii (twice) and Shigeru Nakazato (twice). Larios isn’t what he used to be after he was dethroned via third round TKO defeat by Israel Vazquez in 2005.
The Mexican warrior, handled by veteran apoderado (business manager) Rafael “Cobra” Mendoza, outgrew the 122-pound division, lost a hard-fought twelve round decision to Manny Pacquiao in Manila in 2006 and was stopped by Jorge Linares, Aoh’s stablemate, in the tenth in a WBC elimination bout (due to Korean Injin Chi’s relinquishment) in Las Vegas in the previous year. Larios, however, was given an opportunity to fight Colombian Feider Viloria for the interim WBC belt because of his previous conqueror Linares’ shoulder injury and gained the title by a fifth round stoppage in Chetumal, Mexico, last May. The fighting champ kept his interim belt as he dispatched Nicaraguan Marlon Aguilar in Zapopan, Mexico, this August.
Takahiro Aoh, 24, is an unbeaten prospect, having acquired national high-school belts no less than six times with an excellent amateur mark of 76-3, 27 stoppages. As he entered the paid ranks in 2003, he finely kept winning and captured the Japanese national feather belt by winning a unanimous nod over Koji Umezu in March of the previous year. Since then, the lefty sharpshooter retained his belt three times to his credit.
Prior to his acquisition of the national belt, Aoh fought three Mexican opponents in succession in 2006, defeating Oswaldo Juarez (KO2), Francisco Dianzo (W10) and Gabriel Perez (TKO6). He already experienced the Mexican’s gameness, durability and resilience, even if we admit Larios is much superior to them.
Aoh’s most significant competition was in his last with unbeaten compatriot Hiroyuki Enoki, hard-punching OPBF ruler, with both their OPBF and national belts at stake this April. It ended in a split draw (114-114 twice and 115-115). Ironically, the drawn verdict survived the unbeaten prospects as Aoh challenges WBC champ Larios, while Enoki has a shot at WBA titlist Chris John eight days later on October 24. Aoh then kept moving to-and-fro and outsmarted the slower but more hard-punching Enoki, though neither could convincingly score effective shots throughout the sensational contest.
Will Aoh has a chance to defeat Larios? Yes, speedster’s chance and footworker’s chance. His stablemate Jorge Linares predicts, “Aoh will outspeed Larios to win the belt.” Even given Aoh’s superior speed, we cannot underestimate Larios’ vast experience of seventy bouts, though less than fellow Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez’ more than 100 competitions.
For Aoh, the key to victory will be how to handle Larios’ opening attack in earlier rounds. Should the Japanese lefty be able to do so, he may take the initiative with his speed and skills as the game progresses. If not, however, Larios may overwhelm the less experienced “Japanese golden boy.” It will be such an interesting confrontation of the aggressive Mexican and the Japanese speedster.
Hozumi Hasegawa, 27, is making his seventh defense since he astoundingly scored an upset by a unanimous decision over long-reigning champ Veeraphol Nakhornluang-Promotion in 2005. Hasegawa already registered six defenses to his credit since then, having defeated Gerardo Martinez (TKO7), ex-champ Veeraphol (TKO9), official challenger Genaro Garcia (W12), elongated South African Simpiwe Vetyeka (W12), mandatory challenger Simone Maludrottu (W12) and Cristian Faccio (TKO2).
Hasegawa is the most stable champ of six current world titlists out of Japan thanks to his speed, skills and cleverness. The Japanese southpaw has technically improved in every fight and has become smarter in winning points. Though he is not a one-punch finisher, he can outspeed his opponent with his versatile attack in combination. His shifty footwork and good reflexes kept him from getting hit by hard-hitting or busy-punching opponents.
Alejandro Valdez, 24, is an upcoming Mexican aspirant. The ambitious Mexican hasn’t tasted any setback since 2004, and gained the NABF bantam belt by outscoring veteran Colombian Mauricio Pastrana via unanimous decision (117-111 twice and 119-112) in 2006. The lanky southpaw, rare in Mexico (as they usually change natural lefties into converted southpaws), retained the NABF title by beating compatriot Cecilio Santos (W12) in 2006 and Heriberto Ruiz (TKO6) in 2007.
Handled by “champion producer” Frank Espinoza (who has handled Israel Vazquez, Martin Castillo, et al), Valdez is now trained by Manuel Montiel, a well-reputed coach as well as the father of current WBO super-fly champ Francisco Montiel. Having watched some videos, we categorized Valdez as an upright classic stylist with southpaw jabs and left crosses by keeping the distance. At the public workout, however, Valdez showed a quite different style as he kept shadowboxing and hitting the mitt as a very aggressive fighter. Was it just a camouflage before Japanese press people, or has he really changed his style to wrest the belt in a foreign country?
Having registered 15 stoppages out of 21 victories, Valdez, about two inches taller than the 5’6” champ, is above average in power punching. This reporter has watched classic tapes of such great Mexican bantam hard-hitters as Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate Alfonso Zamora and Lupe Pintor, and doesn’t think Valdez belongs to the same league. It might be too much if we compare today’s bantams with those greats in terms of power punching. Valdez may turn aggressive, unlike his previous style, in order to win and bring back the traditional WBC bantam throne to Mexico.
Hasegawa may be a prefight favorite because of his experience with tough opposition and his versatility in fighting. Valdez’ desperate opening attack, however, may open a route to an upset triumph, but if Hasegawa is as fast and smart as usual, he will counter the pugnacious challenger as he impressively displayed against Genaro Garcia and decked him twice en route to a unanimous victory.
There might be a difference in their defensive ability, as Hasegawa seems superior in defending himself with his shifty footwork and upper body movement. If Valdez’s defense is as loose as shown in the public workout, Hasegawa may feel out the Mexican rival and look for an opportunity to score his trademark counters. Anything may happen in the ring, so the younger Mexican may have a possibility of producing an upset over the formidable titlist Hasegawa. It will be a sensation encounter of the more experienced Japanese champ and the ambitious Mexican challenger. Time will tell.
(10-15-08)