J: JAPAN, K: KOREA, P: PHILIPPINES, T: THAILAND, I: INDONESIA, A: AUSTRALIA NZ: NEW ZEALAND
MINI-FLY: NICO THOMAS (I), LESS ACTIVE AND MEDIOCRE CHAMP, LAST DEFENSE WAS AUG. 26, '95
JR. FLY: YOSAM CHOI (K), BUSY & SKILLFUL PROSPECT, ACQUIRED VACANT TITLE BY BEATING KENZO ANDO
FLY: MANNY PACQUIAO (P), 18-YR-OLD HARD-HITTING LEFTY, BUT PRONE TO GET HIT, DETHRONED THAI DEFENDING CHAMP CHOKCHAI 3K BATTERY BY COME-FROM-BEHIND KO, AS USUAL
JR. BANTAM: RAFFY MONTALBAN (P), DETHRONED KAZUHISA MACHIDA VIA KO IN JAPAN, SKILLFUL COMBINATION PUNCHER, DURABLAE AND FLEXIBLE, INACTIVE REPORTEDLY DUE TO EYE AILMENT
BANTAM: MASAHIKO NAKAMURA (J), WILD-PUNCHING HARD-PUNCHER, LEAST SKILLFUL, DETHRONED KOREAN INSIK KOH ON NOV. 1
JR. FEATHER: REYNANTE JAMILI (P), ACQUIRED VACANT TITLE (RENOUNCED BY EX-OPBF CHAMP YUICHI KASAI) BY STOPPING FUSAAKI TAKENAGA LAST NOV., NO DEFENSE SINCE THEN, GOOD PUNCHER, BUT A BIT CAUTIOUS COUNTERPUNCHER
FEATHER: SAMUEL DURAN (P), PREVIOUSLY SHOWED GOOD PERFORMANCE AGAISNT ORLANDO CANIZALEZ IN THE US, SHORT BUT SHARP COUNTERPUNCHER, REGAINED OPBF TITLE ON CONTROVERSIAL NOD OVER SINGHNUM YAMAKIGYM LAST MAY
JR. LIGHT: VACANT DUE TO RELINQUISHMENT OF JAPAN'S TAKANORI HATAKEYAMA (WHO FAILED TO WIN THE WBA TITLE ON A SPLIT DRAW WITH YONGSOO CHOI LAST OCT.), ELIMINATION BOUT TO TAKE PLACE BET. JAPAN'S YAMATO MITANI AND FILIPINO JOSELITO RIVERA IN JAPAN ON NOV. 8
LIGHT: JONGKWON BAEK (K), HARD-HITTING FIGHTER, UNBEATEN BUT UNTESTED YET
JR. WELTER: JONGHOON YUH (K), TYPICAL KOREAN-STYLIST, BUSY INFIGHTER, BUT LESS ACTIVE
WELTER: SUKHYUN YUN (K), TOUGH AND DURABLE PUNCHER, LESS POWERFUL BUT PUGNACIOUS, DETHRONED EX-CHAMP HIROYUKI YOSHINO IN DEC. 1996
JR. MIDDLE: ERNIE ARTANGO (A), CRAFTY FANCY DAN, LIGHT-PUNCHING BUT CLEVER, LAST DEFENSE WAS IN JULY, 1996
MIDDLE: KEVIN PALMER (J, JAPANESE-BASED NEW YORKER UNDER US MILITARY SERVICE), WELL-DEVELOPED MUSCLED BOXER, SUSPECT CHIN, JABBER SUPER-MIDDLE: YOUNGSUK CHOI (K), REPORTEDLY 6'3" TALL, SLOW BUT AWKWARD, LESS POWERFUL BOXER
LT. HEAVY: HISASHI TERAJI (J), ACQUIRED VACANT TITLE ON DECISION OVER AUSSIE GARTH CUSSION, BEAT CUSSION ON KO IN REMATCH, TALL, CAUTIOUS BOXER
CRUISER: YOSUKEZAN NISHIJIMA (J), SENSATIONAL "NINJA" STYLIST, HARD-HITTING AND FAST, OFTEN FOUGHT IN THE US, BECAME WBF WORLD CHAMP BY BEATING BRIAN LASPADA LAST JULY, HIS MANAGER OSAMU WATANABE IS UNIQUE AND FLAMBOYANT
HEAVY: JAMES GRIMA (A), BECAME OPBF CHAMP LAST APR.
MINIMUM: RANDY MANGUBAT (P)
JR. FLY: PANIENG AKHRADEJ (T)
FLY: DENKAOSAEN KAOWITCH (T)
JR. BANTAM: REY LLAGAS (P)
BANTAM: SAOHIN PHAISARN GYM (T)
JR. FEATHER: BUGIARSO (I)
FEATHER: CHAMOKPET CHORCHAMUANG (T)
JR. LIGHT: KANAT SIKHIMBAEV (KAZAKHSTAN)
LIGHT: CEPPY HOLMAN (I)
JR. WELTER: VACANT
WELTER: JEFF MALCOLM (A)
JR. MIDDLE: KEVIN KELLY (A)
MIDDLE: DARREN OBAH (A)
SUPER MIDDLE: VACANT
LT. HEAVY: ANTHONY BIGENI (NZ)
CRUISER:VACANT
HEAVY: VACANT
REMARKS: IT MAY LOOK STRANGE THAT THERE ARE TWO REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN ASIA. THE OPBF, FORMERLY OBF (ORIENTAL BOXING FEDERATION), IS A TRADITIONAL REGIONAL BODY WITH LONG HISTORY WHICH TURNED INTO THE OPBF BY INCLUDING AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, ETC. BUT PABA (PAN ASIAN BOXING ASSOCIAITON), PRESIDED BY KOREAN YANGSUP SHIM, WAS ESTABLISHED AS A WBA-ORIENTED NEW REGIONL BODY IN 1995. KOREA LATELY AFFILIATED WITH THE PABA THIS OCT. THE PHILIPPINES (WHICH NOW PRESIDES THE OPBF BASED ON THE ALPHABETICAL ROTATION SYSTEM) AND JAPAN HAVE NOT YET AFFILIATED WITH PABA.