January 21, 2000
WBC FLYWEIGHT TITLE BOUT IN THAILAND ON FEB. 25
MEDGOEN SINGSURAT (AKA Medgoen 3K-Battery), WBC flyweight champ, will
defend his title against Japan's MASAKI KAWABATA, 16-3-2, 8 KOs, in Udon
Thani, Thailand, on Feb. 25.
Medgoen captured the WBC belt by finishing Filipino lefty Manny
Pacquiao, already dethroned at the weigh-in, on a third round KO in
Thailand on Sept. 17 last. Medgoen, making his first defense, is still
unbeaten with a 19-0, 12 KOs mark. Kawabata, a game fighter, lost a
highly controversial 9th round technical decision to WBC #5 ranked light
fly Panieng Sasiprabha Okuda in Tokyo last Sept. Despite his local
disadvantage, Kawabata may show a good fight with his determination and
durability.
WBC MINIMUM TITLE BOUT IN THAILAND ON FEB. 11
WANDEE CHOR CHAREON (AKA Wandee Singwangcha), WBC minimum champ, will
risk his 105-pound throne against top contender JOSE ANTONIO AGUIRRE,
Mexico, in Thailand on Feb. 11. Wandee is a young and excellent
speedster with fine timing, having acquired the vacant WBC interim title
by outscoring Taiwan's Rocky Lin in Tokyo in Aug., 1998. Since then, he
defended it just once by halting Japan's Wolf Tokimitsu in the 12th and
final session last May. Wandee, reportedly 24-3, 7 KOs, will see a
formidable and hard-hitting challenger in Aguirre, 21-1-1, 14 KOs, who
reigns as NABF champ since his second round stoppage of Martin Acevedo
in Feb., 1998. Wandee may outspeed the Mexican hard-hitter, who will
try to bring back the crown with a big KO win.
EX-WBA SUPER-FEATHER CHAMP HATAKEYAMA RETURNS
TAKANORI HATAKEYAMA, ex-WBA super-feather champ, will return to the ring
warfare though he once announced his farewell to the squared circle.
Hatakeyama, still 24, hung up gloves after his annihilation by Mongolian
Lakva Sim last June. He sometimes appeared in TV programs as a
publicity, but wasn't content with such a life. He made up his mind to
make a comeback as a 135-pounder, aiming at a crack at the national
title against WBA #5 ranked Rick Roberts Yoshimura at his first step.
Hatakeyama, 22-1-2, 17 KOs, will return to a status as a good attraction
here.
OPBF TITLE BOUTS
SHIN YAMATO, ex-Japanese bantam champ, will meet Korean 122-pound boss
KIOH KIL in a bid for the vacant super-bantam title of the OPBF
(Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation) in Tokyo on Feb. 19.
Newly crowned OPBF fly ruler HIROSHI NAKANO, an unbeaten busy-punching
lefty, will put his regional title on the line against Korean light fly
champ PILKOO KANG in Nagoya on Apr. 2.
OPBF super-middle champ YOSHINORI NISHIZAWA is planning to face ex-champ
and top contender YONGSUK CHOI in Tokyo on
Mar. 28. But problem is no Korean people know the 6'4" Choi's
whereabout. The matchmaker of this OPBF title go is still looking for
Choi to observe his option agreement with Yonekura Promotions.
SENSATIONAL MATCH IN KOREA
Ex-WBA world super-feather champs YONGSOO CHOI of Korea and LAKVA SIM of
Mongolia will meet in an eliminator to decide the challenger to the WBA
crown in Seoul on Mar. 5. The promoter of this sensational encounter
will be PABA president, Mr. Yangsup Shim. The WBA orders the winner of
the upcoming WBA title bout between Jongkwon Baek and compatriot Kyuchul
Choi in Pohang, Korea, on Jan. 30 must fight the WBA interim champ Joel
Casamayor. The winner of the WBA champs will be obliged to face the
victor of the Choi vs. Sim bout. We'll see the ultimately strong WBA
champ, who may fight a unification bout with the WBC ruler Floyd
Mayweather in the near future.
WHICH WILL BE THE CHALLENGER TO TODAKA?
Japan's sole world champ HIDEKI TODAKA, WBA super-fly ruler, is planning
to make his second defense against the then top contender and ex-champ
Yokthai Sith-oar, who abruptly dropped to #3 in the last WBA ratings
despite suffering no defeat. The WBA recommends Todaka to fight ex-WBA
fly kingpin Leo Gamez who also abruptly zoomed up to the top rank in the
latest ratings in the 115-pound division. This shift of the ratings
produced great confusion in Japan and Thailand, since Toshiro Matsuo,
the champ's manager/promoter, was preparing to promote Todaka's
mandatory defense agaisnt Yokthai in Nagoya most probably on Apr. 23.
Akihiko Honda, Japan's most influential impresario and international
coordinator in Asia, is talking with the WBA headquarters to straighten
out this complex situation.
PROBLEMATIC "JUN ARLOS" CASE
Filipino minimumweight boxer JUN ARLOS, then ranked #5 by the WBC, lost
to Japan's #9 ranked MASANORI SUGA on a very lopsided decision (100-91
twice and 100-90) in Fukuoka, Japan, on Aug. 22, 1999. Thanks to this
upset victory, Suga got rated #15 by the WBC. Arlos came back to Tokyo
and also lost a unanimous decision to Japanese flyweight Hiroki
Shinozaki on Dec. 8.
Gabriel "Bebot" Elorde Jr., the son of the legendary world junior light
champ Flash Elorde and one of the most influential managers in the
Philippines, claimed that he had kept the passport of Jun Arlos when he
fought Shinozaki last Dec.
It almost became a scandal that there was a possibility that a bogus
boxer fought under the name of Jun Arlos, but it proved that it was Jun
Arlos himself that fought Shinozaki in Tokyo with the evidence of a
videotape of that bout that was confirmed by Bebot Elorde.
Then, how on earth did Jun Arlos enter Japan without having his
passport? Did he use some bogus passport of himself or some other
person's passport? If so, it might be more criminal that the Filipino
boxer entered Japan without his own passport. The GAB is said to be
investigating this case. For worldwide record-keepers, however, it was
fortunately not necessary to correct the result of the Arlos vs.
Shinozaki bout.
--
Joe Koizumi
If you wish to refer to my previous reports, please access to:
http://www.ring-japan.com/oriental.htm
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