March 27, 2011
KARIYA, JAPAN
Reckless ex-OPBF super-bantam champ, WBC#14 Hiromasa Ohashi (24-9-3, 15 KOs), 121.5, regained the OPBF belt when he barely pounded out a split decision over OPBF#2 Filipino national titlist Jhunriel Ramonal (9-3-1, 6 KOs), 121.75, over twelve hard-fought rounds on Sunday in Kariya, Japan.
Scored: scoring referee Wansoo Yuh (Korea) 117-111 and judge Yuji Fukuchi (Japan) 115-113, both for Ohashi, and Delbert Peligrino (Philippines) 115-114 for Ramonal.
Ohashi, a Vito Antuofermo stylist, found another Antuofermo in Ramonal, and they persistently mixed it up entirely for twelve heats. Ohashi, who had forfeited his regional belt to the current WBA 122-pound champ Akifumi Shimoda a year ago, decked a couple of wins since, and was a prefight favorite against Ramonal due to his superior experience. But the 21-year-old muscular Filipino didn’t care about the difference of their careers and came out fighting toe-to-toe without retreating. After the fourth, the open scoring system indicated 38-38 twice and 40-36 for Ohashi.
They dominated every other round to battle in even terms, but it was Ohashi, 31, that almost caught his rival with a flurry of punches, pinning him to the ropes in round seven. Amazingly did Ramonal fight back hard to retaliate with all he had in the closing seconds of the session. After the eighth, the official tallies were: 77-76, 77-75 and 79-73, all for the Japanese ex-champ.
The last four rounds weren't easy for Ohashi, though he desperately took the ninth and twelfth. The eleventh saw Ramonal explode his attack to keep stalking the fading Japanese from pillar to post. As Ohashi barely withstood the Filipino’s all-out rallies, he saw Ramonal badly fading and losing his stamina in the final stanza to have an upper hand. With more career and better skills, the Filipino loser would become a much more dangerous opponent against Ohashi, should their rematch materialize in the near future.
Promoter: Heiwa Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(3-27-11)