Ex-WBC flyweight champ Malcolm Tunacao, 118, a Filipino southpaw, captured the OPBF bantam belt as he displayed his ring experience and savvy in outmaneuvering defending champ Kumarnthorng Poh Pluemkamol, 118, Thailand, en route to a lopsided decision over twelve rounds on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. The official tallies were as follows: scoring referee Nobuaki Uratani (Japan) 118-111, Pinit Prayadsab (Thailand) 120-109 and Salven Lagumbay (Philippines) 119-109, all for Tunacao. It was a less spectacular bout, but Tunacao cleverly controlled the affair with his hit-and-grab tactics and occasional counters. Kumarnthong, who had dethroned Japan’s Jun Toriumi by an upset verdict here, attempted to wear him down by aiming at the Filipino’s breadbasket to stop his mobility, but Tunacao often utilized clinching the willing mixer.
