October 24, 2008
TOKYO, JAPAN
Unbeaten WBA feather champ Chris John (42-0-1, 22 KOs), 125.5, kept his belt as he coped with continual rough attacks of previously unbeaten Japanese challenger Hiroki Enoki (27-1-2, 17 KOs), 126, and pounded out a hard-fought unanimous decision over twelve on Friday in Tokyo, Japan.
The official tallies were as follows: Derek Milham (Australia) and Pint Prayadsab (Thailand) both 118-110, and Raul Caiz Jr. (US) 117-111, all in favor of the defending champ. The referee was Silvestre Abainza (Philippines).
It was a hard-battled affair, and was never an easy fight for the champion as the scorecards indicated. Angelo Hyder, Australian cutman for John, happened to see the good loser Enoki after the bout and warmly said to him, gIt wasnft a one-sided fight but a close game. Many rounds were close enough, and Chris John took most of those rounds. You fought very well.h This reporter translated his words for Enoki, whose left side of the face was badly swollen. Enoki looked like an Arturo Gatti or an Michael Katsidis.
When this reporter entered Enokifs dressing room to console the loser, his manager/promoter Shingo Suzuki admired the champ, saying gJohn was very tough. Though Enoki occasionally landed heavy shots, John could take them. Also, he was smart enough to change his strategy in the middle of the game.h
They mixed it up from the outset with Enoki boring in with solid overhand rights, while John retaliating with jabs and body shots. Though all the three judges gave the first round to John, the fourth judge (this reporter) scored it for Enoki by evaluating his opening attack with effective right crosses.
Enoki, ex-OPBF and national champ, displayed his best in the second, when he once badly shook up the champ with a solid left hook and scored with vicious left-right combinations. But the Japanese banger had the left eyelid reddened by Johnfs crisp rights in the closing seconds of the round.
Eventually it might be Enokifs mistake that he revealed all his weapons a little too early in the second, as John began to change his way of fighting in the third. John, making his tenth defense, began to outpunch the slower hard-puncher and then immediately moved away from Enokifs retaliation. This strategy paid off with John dominating the third through fifth sessions by a clear margin.
The Indonesian kept outpunching the game but flat-footed Japanese, and landed sharp one-two combos and good right uppercuts with precision in the fourth. The fifth was also obviously taken by John, who, however, sustained a gash at the right optic.
Enoki, whose left eye began to be swollen, went forward in the sixth, when John whipped the challenger with more accurate combinations to win another point. But John had another cut caused by Enokifs legal punch in this stanza.
The seventh saw Enoki furiously attack the clever champ with a flurry of punches in order to disturb his rhythm, but John connected with a few but good counters to the face. It might be a difficult round to score, though all the three gave it to John, since Enoki landed more punches to the champ, while Johnfs fewer shots were accurate and effective.
The flat-footed and awkward Japanese, in round eight, kept on going forward, throwing strong combinations. But the cool and faster Indonesian fought back with more accurate left-right combos to the onrushing challenger. Again, it was Johnfs round.
Reviewing the scorecards of the judges after the eighth, the tallies were: 88-83 twice and 89-82. But the fight itself didnft look so lopsided to the eyes of the crowd, since Enoki positively kept throwing solid shots and effectively landed some of them. Problem was that John fought back quickly and effectively whenever he took Enokifs solid shots. The champ scored with well-disciplined right uppercuts to the durable challenger.
Enoki was a courageous aggressor in the ninth and tenth though his left eye appeared almost closed. As two judges scored the ninth for Enoki, he turned loose with a two-fisted attack to have the champ bewildered by his aggressiveness and freshness. Enoki probably had a second wind in the ninth, when he busily scored with stinging lefts and left-right combos to the temporarily fading champ.
This fourth judge rendered the ninth and tenth to Enoki, who furiously attacked the champ, who desperately countered him with one-two combos to have Enokifs left optic more badly swollen. His left cheek looked as if he had a big chewing gum in the mouth.
Enoki might have consumed his energy in the ninth and tenth, as he apparently became slowing down in the last two sessions, though he kept throwing punches. John still maintained his excellent speed in his combination punching, and battered the game but fast fading challenger. The champ was still cleverer and fresher than Enoki, hitting him without getting hit. Some Japanese spectators emotionally said after the tenth, gEnoki can win, should he take the last two rounds.h But they had the mouths shut, as John was obviously in command in the last six minutes.
As the official tallies were announced to indicate Johnfs victory, some of Enokifs adherents shouted, gThat wasnft such a wide margin.h But most of the crowd admitted Johnfs superiority in speed and skills, if not in power. All simply admitted Enokifs defeat.
It was probably one of Johnfs toughest defenses because of Enokifs mental strength and power punching, if less accurate. John absorbed more punishment than usual, but showed he could take punch and he had good stamina through the tough game. This observer has seen some of Johnfs previous defenses against Juan Manuel Marques (a very close fight) and Derrick Gainer, etc., but John had looked much faster and much sharper. This was never Johnfs best showing.
In the second, he absorbed Enokifs very solid shot and was almost stunned. He had rubbery legs. It became an alarm clock for him to suggest that he should not fight Enoki toe-to-toe since the Japanese was less skillful, slower but dangerous in the close quarter. In later rounds after John solved Enokifs monotonous strategy, the champ had the upper hand even in the close range with his quicker combinations.
Chris John may be a better champ than aging WBC titlist Oscar Larios and less spectacular WBO ruler Steven Luevano. John might not be a superstar despite his remarkable ten defenses due to his lack of convincing power. His achievement was thanks to his discipline with the tutelage of Australian trainer/manager Craig Christian of his Harryfs Gym. It is admirable that the Australian handlers took care of the Indonesian hero Chris John very well during their brief stay here in Japan prior to the title bout.
All the witnesses praised the fight, saying it was worth watching. It was an encounter of the good champion and the game challenger. Their hot performance had their heart warm. On their way home, the witnesses may review the process of the fight in mind and probably wish to come back to see boxing games. For Enoki, whose left cheek became double than before the fight, it wasnft a shame that he lost to such an excellent champ with no less than ten defenses.
WBA supervisor: Aurelio Fiengo (Panama).
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
Promoter: Kadoebi Jewel Promotions.
(10-24-08)