WBC#6 WETHYA KEEPS OPBF 122LB BELT
KOBE, JAPAN -- WBC#6/WBA#14 Wethya Sakmuangklaeng (86-4, 52 KOs), 122, kept his OPBF super-bantam belt as he came off the canvas in the fifth and dominated the second half to pound out a unanimous decision (115-113 twice and 116-112) over OPBF#2 Japanese Kyohei Tamakoshi (18-5-5, 8 KOs), 122, over twelve hard-fought rounds on Sunday in Kobe, Japan.
The taller challenger had the southpaw champ on the deck with a solid right uppercut in the fifth, but Wethya showed a fine recovery as he was in command in later rounds. The 30-year-old Wethya once had a shot at the WBC feather belt, losing a unanimous nod (116-113, 116-112 and 118-110) in Merida, Mexico, in 2000. The Thailander tasted his last defeat at the hand of Manny Pacquiao via sixth round TKO in the Philippines in the next year. Since then, he scored 31 consecutive victories to have kept his OPBF throne on four occasions.
Promoter: Senrima Kobe Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(6-3-07)
---------
UNBEATEN OHBA DEFEATS PAREDES
NAGOYA, JAPAN -- Unbeaten WBC#10 prospect Kohei Ohba (18-0-1, 10 KOs), 119, outgrew the super-fly category to start campaigning in the bantam division, and defeated WBC#28 Mexican national bantam champ Francisco Paredes (15-12-1, 14 KOs), 118.25, by a one-sided decision (99-92, 99-93 and 98-93) over ten fast frames on Sunday in Nagoya, Japan.
The fast-rising 22-year-old prospect displayed his superior speed of hand and foot to outpunch the game hard-hitting Mexican. Ohba$B!G(Bs stinging left jabs had Paredes swollen under the right optic from the fourth. Ohba, a hard-punching footworker, connected with strong combinations and tried to finish the affair, but Paredes showed his heart to go down despite his absorption of punishment. It$B!G(Bs a very clean fight that the referee never bothered to say $B!H(Bbreak$B!I(B or release either from any clinches.$B!!(BOhba is one of the brightest prospects in the bantam category along with WBC#11 national champ Masayuki Mitani.
Promoter: Space K Gym.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(6-3-07)
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Joe Koizumi.