November 27, 2015
SENDAI, JAPAN
Unheralded Japanese speedster Yu Kimura (18-2-1, only 3 KOs), 107.5, astoundingly dethroned highly regarded WBC light-flyweight champ Pedro Guevara (26-2-1, 17 KOs), 108, from Mexico, by a hard-fought but well-received split verdict over twelve heats on Saturday in Sendai, Japan. Noppharat Sricharoen (Thailand) and Jun-Bae Lim (Korea) both tallied 115-113 for Kimura, while Barry Linderman (US) had it 117-111 for Guevara. The referee was Ian John Lewis (UK).
Probably it was Guevara’s overconfidence that cost the belt. The 26-year-old Mexican lawyer-to-be failed to display his intelligence in dominating the last four sessions although he was leading on points after the eighth: 79-73, 77-75 and 76-76.
The Japanese underdog admirably swept almost all the last four rounds to turn the tables and win a hairline but well-received decision by the audience.
The upset winner said, “I thank for people’s support. I had a tough time midway in the game, and then changed my strategy to go forward and fight in the close range, which eventually resulted in a success.” The dethroned champ said, “I thought I won the fight comfortably.” If he thought so, he might have made a mistake in calculating the summation in his brain in the championship rounds, as he didn’t desperately try to win the last two rounds.
Guevara, 26, acquired the vacant WBC 108-pound belt by demolishing formerly two-time champ Akira Yaegashi with a wicked body shot here in December of the previous year, and our people truly realized his strength and smartness to regard him as a prohibitive favorite without doubt.
Kimura, ex-national amateur and professional champ, 32, cautiously started the action and felt out the champ’s fight plan with his tight defense in the beginning of the contest. Smoothly moving to-and-fro, Guevara appeared to have already seized his usual rhythm in moving and punching, and threw fast double or triple jabs to control the fight. After the fourth, the official tallies were announced to be 39-37 twice and 40-36, all for the champ.
The fifth saw Guevara score with a very solid right cross, which almost toppled the Japanese challenger. The stylish champ swarmed over the shaky challenger with a flurry of punches upstairs and downstairs, but Kimura barely lasted the round by grabbing the champ and averting his combinations with his peek-a-boo guard.
It might be cynic that the tide eventually turned in the next round, when Kimura began to be aggressive with desperate body punches and fast combos to the face. Obviously Kimura changed his strategy then and there after tasting Guevara’s telling shots in round five. Kimura, in the seventh, went forward, came close to the champ with his high guard and landed an effective combination of a left hook followed by a right cross, which had Guevara retreating thereafter.
Guevara’s corner might have given him an instruction that he should box rather than mix it up, and Guevara followed the corner’s advice. It was, however, beneficial for Kimura, as he kept going forward and had an upper hand of the close affair in the second half of the contest.
Round after round, Kimura overcame his early deficits on points with his aggressiveness that was supported by the partisan crowd in Sendai. His short combinations often caught Guevara, who inexplicably attempted to outbox rather than fight back by using his more powerful punches. It was Kimura that showed his heart to desperately dominate the last four rounds and seize the valuable victory.
Kimura, a Hosei university graduate, is a trading company employee, and his clever way of fighting had been evaluated by hardcore fans here despite his low KO percentage (only three stoppages in twenty pro bouts). His good skills and strong heart thus paid off and produced an admirable upset.
Promoter: Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions.
WBC supervisor: Major Lee Wonbok (Korea).
(11-28-2015)