November 27, 2015
SENDAI, JAPAN
Unbeaten Mexican footworker Carlos Cuadras (34-0-1, 26 KOs), 114.5, kept his WBC super-flyweight belt as he displayed his fast legs rather than his strong hands in outclassing and outmaneuvering lanky Japanese Koki Eto (17-4-1, 13 KOs), 114.5, winning a unanimous decision over twelve Tom-and-Jerry rounds on Saturday in Sendai, Japan. Barry Lindenman (US) and Noppharat Sriharoen (Thailand) both saw the fast-processing fight 117-111, and Jun-Bae Lim (Korea) had it 116-112, all for the clever Mexican champ. The referee was Hector Afu (Panama). The 5’8” Japanese kept stalking Cuadras, four inches shorter, who utilized his footwork to refuse to mix it up in the close quarter but occasionaly landed quick combinations to move away quickly from Eto’s retaliation.
Viewing the official tallies, you may see it a rather one-sided affair, but actually it wasn’t so. The open scoring system indicated Cuadras leading on points: after the fourth, all 40-36; after the eighth, 79-73 twice and 78-74. But the tide almost turned in round nine, when Eto turned loose with body shots and then vigorously kept stalking the suddenly fading champ. Apparently running out of gas, Cuadras averted exchanging punches with the game and gallant challenger but became a marathon runner in the last four sessions.
While retreating and circling, Cuadras occasionally scored with sporadic counters with left hooks or uppercuts, which looked strong and effective to the monotonously chasing Eto whose combinations often missed the moving target to be unable to score points. It was simply due to their difference of skills. Eto, a tall and stylish Alexis Arguello stylist, loved to swap punches toe-to-toe with shorter punchers, but Cuadras was a tough hombre with fast and strong hands, plus clever brain. The Mexican champ frequently grabbed Eto to avert his retaliation in the last four rounds, and resumed running away from the game but less skillful Japanese challenger.
Strictly watching clean effective shots in the last four rounds (which the crowd of some 3,500 at Xebio Arena Sendai might saw Eto dominantly take against the constantly retreating champ), this reporter, as well as all the judges, admitted Cuadras having won a couple of points due to his precision though being behind on the volume of punches in comparison with the aggressive Eto.
In the first four sessions Cuadras, 27 as Eto, easily piled up as many points since the taller Japanese kept his guard high and probed the champ’s mobility and opening attacks. Although Eto didn’t suffer any serious damage thanks to his tight guard, Cuadras obviously took the initiative and gained the lead on points.
Eto started warming up his engine from the sixth, when Cuadras absorbed a single solid overhand right and quickly realized his rival’s power punching. The champ, since then, began to show his respect to the elongated foe’s arsenal and also became aware that it might be dangerous to exchange punches with the Japanese hard-puncher toe-to-toe in the center of the ring. Cuadras stuck to his hit-and-run strategy, hitting the slower opponent without receiving his counterattack, which became less accurate and less effective with the champ’s shifty mobility.
The jubilant victor Cuadras, who scored his fifth defense after a tough battle, said, “Eto was very strong. I wished to win by a knockout, but carefully fought without receiving his punches. I want to fight WBO champ Naoya Inoue or WBA titlist Kohei Kono in the near future.”
Eto repented of his unsatisfactory performance of indigestion, saying, “I couldn’t prove my power. I couldn’t catch Cuadars, who was too fast-moving and too quick-punching. I admit my solid punches rarely caught him.” His manager Yoko Gushiken, ex-WBA junior flyweight champ who had once registered thirteen defenses, also repented of his pupil’s defeat, “It’s regrettable that Eto failed to win this game though he could win. Should he have been able to stop the champ’s moving, Eto could have attacked more and hurt him more to win the belt.”
People who had seen Eto fight for the first time in this game probably saw he’s greatly talented with his punching power and strong heart, plus his advantageous 5’8” fame as a 115-pounder. He needs more experience and more technical sophistication to win the belt again (as he once seized the WBA interim flyweight diadem).
It wasn’t a good fight since they seldom exchange their best shots each other, but we, as well as Eto, found that anything can be won only with the heart but with the brain. Cuadras displayed his successful brain, while Eto his unsuccessful heart.
Promoter: Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions.
WBC supervisor: Major Lee Wonbok (Korea).
(11-28-2015)