Feb. 20, 1999
SAMUI, THAILAND-Fast-moving lefty PICHIT CHOR SIRIWAT, 108, withstood a
crisis in the 4th and outmaneuvered a hard-hitting Filipino JOMA GAMBOA(right photo),
108, to defend his title on a 12-round unanimous decision at a makeshift
ring of Chaweng Beach.
It was Pichit's 4th defense since he dethroned Japan's Keiji Yamaguchi by an upset 2nd-round TKO in Osaka in Dec., 1996. Gamboa, who had iced 19 victims in 25 wins (including 8 first-round KOs), zoomed up to the top contender thanks to his first-round KO of ex-WBA champ Carlos Murillo in a Fedelatin light fly elimination bout in Venezuela in Sept., 1997.
Each contestant entered the ringside area, riding an elephant. They respected each other in the first three sessions, but Gamboa looked stiff, aiming at a quick KO win. The Thailander threw a bit more punches than the Filipino to take points.
The 4th round saw Gamboa catch the champ with a right-left-right combination that had him reeling to the ropes. Without the ropes Pichit would have fallen down. Gamboa followed up to punish the champ, but Pichit utilized his footwork and attempted to fight back with straight lefts to the belly.
Gamboa claimed the champ's low blows midway in the 5th, and referee Waldemar Schmidt, Puerto Rico, stopped the proceedings and gave a brief break to the Filipino. The retreating champ sometimes caught his opponent with light shots in the 6th.
Gamboa, in the 7th, turned aggressive and pinned the champ to the ropes
with sharp combos to the face, taking a point.
From the 8th onward, Pichit was moving well to avert Gamboa's vaunted punches. The Filipino maintained the pressure, but failed to throw enough punches to catch the moving target. The champ utilized his hit-and-run tactics to pile up points. In the last two rounds Gamboa realized that he was behind on points and attempted to score a KO win. But he became a bit too tense and tight to catch the fleet-footed southpaw.
Scored: Erkki Meronen (Finland) 118-112, Melchor Taylor (Trinidad & Tobago) 118-110, and Hiroyuki Tezaki (Japan) 116-112, all for Pichit, 20-1, 11 KOs. Gamboa, a year his senior at 25, dropped to 25-4-1, 19 KOs. The loser said, "I will move down to the 105-pound class due to my manager's recommendation, as it is easy for me to make 105." Pichit said, "Though I took good shots in the 4th, I had a confidence to control the fight thereafter."
Ex-WBA super-fly champ YOKTHAI SITH-OH showed a lackluster performance in taking a close but unanimous decision over Filipino FELIX MARFA over 6. It was originally scheduled for a 10-round bout under the condition that if not ending by a KO in the first 6 rounds, it would be abbreviated to a 6-round bout to save time before the main event.
After the main event, a PABA (Pan Asian Boxing Association) super-feather title bout took place with an unbeaten sensation YODSANAN NANTHACHAI demolishing QUINTON DONAHUE, Australia, with a southpaw right hook in the opening session of a scheduled 12. The sturdy Thailander looked awesome and strong.
WBA supervisor: Juan Luis Torralba (Spain).
Promoter: Songchai Ratanasuban.
ERKKI MERONEN (FINLAND)
| - | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | TOTAL |
| PICHIT | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 118 |
| GAMBOA | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 112 |
MELCHOR TAYLOR (TRINIDAD & TOBAGO)
| - | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | TOTAL |
| PICHIT | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 118 |
| GAMBOA | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 112 |
HIROYUKI TEZAKI (JAPAN)
| - | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | TOTAL |
| PICHIT | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 116 |
| GAMBOA | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 112 |
REFEREE: WALDEMAR SCHMIDT (PUERTO RICO)
Of course, this is the loser's excuse. We admit that Gamboa lost to Pichit by a decision. We don't claim anything about the decision.
But I, as the manager of Joma Gamboa, have to report one serious matter for the sake of the future of boxing. We, Gamboa's group, arrived at Bangkok on February 15 and received a warm treatement by the promoter Songchai at the capital of Thailand.
On the 17th, however, we received a terrible treatment upon our arrival at Koh Samui (Samui Island; Koh means "island" in the Thai language.). We left Narai Hotel in Bangkok at about 5:30 am, took an airplane for Surat Thani at 8:00 am, arriving there at 9:00 am. It took an hour and a half by car to reach a ferry port from the Surat Thani airport. After taking lunch, we took a ferry boat for Samui Island, taking an hour and a half. From the ferry port at Samui, we were carried to a hotel (if it can be called a hotel) named SAMUI SEA-VIEW HOTEL, taking another hour. It was such a shabby hotel with no restaurant, no toilet flash, no bath, furthermore, no facility to make overseas call. We were tired after a long trip from Bangkok, but we were forced by Songchai's men, Mr. Piak and Mr. Michel, to cooperate with a parade circling around the island by an open car from 6:30 pm through 7:50 pm, taking an hour and 20 minutes. After we ate a late dinner, we had to move to another hotel named WORLD RESORTS, which looked nice and big from outside but we found that it had no toilet in the room, no facility of international calls. We had no more energy left to change our hotel late at night, so we stayed at World Resorts. Gamboa's condition was destroyed on that day.
On February 18, before the medical check at Samui International Hospital (the doctor and nurses showed great hostpitality there) from 10:00 am, we prepared to move a much better hotel, NARA HOTEL, which I confirmed that it had sufficient facilities of restaurant, toilet, and telephone inside a room. It might be a Thai style, but the medical check didn't start until 11 am to wait for some VIP that supported this local card. Mr. Piak mentioned his recommendation for us to move to another hotel named THE ISLAND, and there was a furious discussion between a couple of Songchai's men, Mr. Piak and Mr. Michel, about our change of the hotel at the hospital. Finally I decided to order a driver to go to The Island hotel to check its facility and the location.
Surprisingly enough, The Island had very good accommodations (bungalow). Furthermore, it was located just five minutes walk to the fight venue, Chaweng Beach. Plus, all other boxers including Pichit, Yodsanan, Yokthai, Felix Marfa and people of Songhcai Promotions were already staying there.
Looking back at the map of Samui Island, The Island and Chaweng Beach were located in the west of the island. The first shabbiest hotel, Samui Sea-View Hotel, stood in the east end of the island. World Resorts in the north. Nara Hotel in the north-west. We couldn't but think that they carried us around Samui simply in order to have Gamboa tired.
Was it a treatment to the WBA #1 contender? Why did other boxers and boxing people check in directly at The Island except the Gamboa group? Songchai's men said that all hotel accommodations were fully occupied because of the Chinese New Year Day. But we didn't see many Chinese people in Samui, but some European tourists. Why did Chinese people occupy all hotel accommodations in Samui?
We checked in at The Island in the afternoon on the 18th. As Gamboa could not take a rest properly because of 4-time change of our hotel (taking out our clothes and packing them again and again, plus carrying them made us very tired), he became obviously tired and out of condition.
After we finally checked in at The Island, Songchai's men as well as the promoter himself seemed very kind and warm. Probably Songchai himself didn't know anything about our having suffered such terrible treatments. His men did these tricks, we suppose.
The official weigh-in was scheduled at 4:00 pm. But Songchai's men called us up, saying that the weigh-in would take place at 3:00 pm, and forced us to leave the hotel at 2:00 pm. In short, the weigh-in started at 5:30 pm, as we had to wait for the officials (the supervisor, referee and judges) to arrive at the Samui International Hospital. According to the officials, they just arrived at Samui Island from Bangkok and directly rushed to the hospital from the ferry port. If so, Songchai's men should have known the expected time of the officials' arrival. We didn't need to leave our hotel so early as 2 pm. With the previous day's treatment, Gamboa wanted to take a rest, but had to kill time for about 3 hours there.
We admit that Gamboa lost to Pichit by a decision on Feb. 20. We don't
demand a rematch. But I just pitifully reflect our terrible treatment
given in Thailand, although we had expected Songchai Promotion's fair
treatment. It was good that Gamboa, despite his fatigue before the
fight, could fight until the end without collapsing due to his physical
fatigue-thanks to his mental power. The warm-hearted officials consoled
us, saying, "Gamboa had a good talent. Had he thrown more punches, he
could have won this fight." Thank you and gracias. But my boy was too
tired before the fight to throw punches. It was the fact.
(2-20-99)