| |
|
VINVIN RUFINO LOSES OPBF TITLE FIGHT BY SPLIT DECISION
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 07 Mar 2010
Filipino southpaw Vinvin Rufino has lost in his quest for the vacant Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation featherweight title against Japan’s Naoki Matsuda who is ranked No. 13 by the WBC in Tokyo.
In what was an exciting and entertaining bout the 33 year old Matsuda (32-8-4, 13 KO’s) rose from a third round knockdown fought back ferociously to drop Rufino (28-11-3, 13 KO’s) once in the fourth round and twice more in the fifth to win what boxing writer and Hall-of-Famer Joe Koizumi described as “a hard-fought split decision.”
Two judges scored it for the Japanese by margins of 114-111 and 114-112 while the third judge had Rufino the winner 114-111.
Koizumi reported that Matsuda who earned his WBC rankings following his upset win over Rudy Lopez in Mexico in 2007 “had a really tough time against the game, hard-hitting but fragile Filipino southpaw.” After the third round knockdown courtesy of a devastating left by Rufino it didn’t seem that Matsuda would recover especially since he also suffered a gash over the right eyebrow but he fought back with a vengeance to deck Rufino three times in the next two rounds.
The Filipino had his turn to claw back to take the sixth and ninth rounds and tried desperately to win the title in the last two rounds but Koizumi said the bloodied Matsuda gallantly fought back to earn the victory and the coveted OPBF crown.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Taylor vs. Serrano Trilogy: Can Amanda Get The Nod?
By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025BERLANGA-SHEERAZ, STEVENSON-CEPEDA, MORELL-KHATAEV MAKE WEIGHT IN NEW YORK
By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025Johnny Spell Takes on Chancellor Batttenberg on Saturday, July 19th at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, PA
, Sat, 12 Jul 2025JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Make Weight for Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Philippine Under-12 Girls Team Shines Bright, Clinches Multiple Medals at 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Penang
By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Kenneth “Llover Boy” Takes on “El Nica” Concepcion Aug 17 on Gerry Peñalosa’s Show @ the Winford Resort and Casino Manila (Analysis)
By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony Velazquez won’t be Boxing’s best kept secret in 2026
, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Undefeated Gabriela Tellez Returns July 18 at “Night of Champions” Live on DAZN
, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Dushanbe hosts stacked fight card with Bakhodur Usmonov and Christopher Mouafo headlining IBA.Pro 8
, Fri, 11 Jul 2025Shakur vs Zepeda & Morrell vs Khataev Fight Analysis
By Ralph Rimpell, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025Peñalosa To Test "Lover Boy" Llover Versus Accomplished Panamanian Veteran Concepcion
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team Begins Brandenburg Cup Prep Camp
, Thu, 10 Jul 2025Dream Fight: “Bam” Rodriguez vs “Puma” Martinez on the Horizon
By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025Perez vs Vivas Headlines All Star Boxing's Prueba de Fuego Card on July 25
, Thu, 10 Jul 2025Christy Martin Promotions & Ringside Ticket Inc. Present ‘Lopez Vs. Vargas’ Welterweight Battle
, Thu, 10 Jul 2025Vegas Fight Experience Where Authentic Sparring Meets Cinematic Vegas Energy
, Thu, 10 Jul 20254 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Erik Morales Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas
, Thu, 10 Jul 2025SALITA PROMOTIONS SIGNS FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TONY HARRISON
, Thu, 10 Jul 2025FIGHT EMPIRE! TUAZON, ADOR, DE BARBO, JOMAR, AND MORE ARE READY FOR ACTION IN BRICO SANTIG'S EXCITING SHOW JULY 12 IN THAILAND
By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025Shakur Stevenson and David Morrell Face "Crossroad Fights" This Saturday in Queens
By Ralph Rimpell, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025Christy Martin’s “Mayhem in Music City 2” to Feature Undefeated Vic Hernandez Facing Jayvon Garnett for NABA & Jr. NABF Featherweight Championships
, Wed, 09 Jul 2025James Perkins & Anthony Andreozzi Headlines “Oceanside Prize Fights”
, Wed, 09 Jul 2025GORST PURSUES GOLDEN GLORY IN JEDDAH, DEFENDING WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN SAUDI ARABIA, 21–26 JULY
, Wed, 09 Jul 2025Hovhannisyan and Barrientes Set for High-Stakes Showdowns July 18 on DAZN
, Tue, 08 Jul 2025UNBEATEN PROSPECT KENNETH LLOVER TO FACE FORMER TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION LUIS CONCEPCION IN MANILA
, Mon, 07 Jul 2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
