September 20, 2010
September 20, 2010
TOKYO, JAPAN
Unbeaten Japanese hard-puncher, WBA super-featherweight champ Takashi Uchiyama (16-0, 13 KOs), 130, impressively kept his belt as he dominated the first four rounds with stinging jabs and overhand rights and exploded a lethal combination to Indonesian Roy Mukhlis (22-3-2, 17 KOs), 129.75, to flatten him and prompt the referee Luis Pabon's intervention at 2:27 of the fifth round on Monday (our national holiday to respect the older generation) in Saitama, Japan.
Prior to the dramatic stoppage, the official tallies were identically 40-36 by the officials: Jean-Luis Legland (France), Carlos Sucre (US) and Pinit Prayadsab (Thailand).
The 23-year-old Muslim, Mukhlis had dedicated this possible victory to his late manager Temuzin Rambing having passed away some two months before. But Uchiyama, 30, making his second defense, looked too much experienced and smooth for the nervous and stiff Indonesian, who seldom scored good shots in the first four frames. The Japanese champ threw sharp jabs to bounce off the head to set him up for solid right crosses. Mukhlim, with a very high guard, averted the champfs attack to the face, but Uchiyama cleverly shifted his target to the midsection. It paid off well. Mukhlis, who suffered a gash caused by a legal punch in round three, visibly became slowing down, and it was a matter of time when Uchiyama would catch him to finish the affair.
In the fatal fifth, Uchiyama, ex-national amateur champ with a mark of 91-22, 59 stoppages in the unpaid ranks, landed a very strong right cross, and followed up with powerful combinations to the face. Mukhlis, the regional holder of the WBC international, PABA and WBO Oriental 130-pound championships, went down on all fours, and it was truly obvious that he would not be able to beat the count and resume fighting due to a bad damage. The third man Pabon showed a good decision in terminating his count and raised the champfs arm.
Uchiyama said, gIfd like to train more and more to become stronger and make more defenses.h Itfs a night for the champ Uchiyama, not one for the ardent Muslim from Indonesia.
Promoter: Watanabe Promotions.
WBA supervisor: Yangsup Shim.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(9-20-10)