TACONING BECOMES MANDATORY CHALLENGER TO NEWLY MINTED WBC CHAMP GANIGAN LOPEZ
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 05 Mar 2016
World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman informed The Standard on Saturday morning following his return to his home in Mexico City after a long, long trip that No. 1 ranked Filipino Jonathan Taconing ?is the mandatory contender? for the world title won on Friday by Mexican veteran Ganigan Lopez (27-6, 17 KO?s) who captured the belt in an upset victory over Japan?s defending champion Yu Kimura (18-3-1, 3 KO?s) in what well known boxing writer and matchmaker Joe Koizumi described as ?twelve monotonous rounds? in Kyoto, Japan.
American judges Cathy Leonard (119-109) and Gary Ritter (118-110) both scored the fight for the 34 year old Lopez while his countryman Carlos Pelayo inexplicably scored the fight a 114-114 draw.
Lopez maintained his aggressive style throughout and took the initiative away from the 32 year old Kimura who was not as sharp and effective as when he won the title from Mexico?s Pedro Guevara.
Sulaiman told us he wants the mandatory defense of Lopez against Taconing who is also a southpaw to take place in July at the latest and indicated he would ?check whether the fight could be made immediately? referring to the negotiations between the handlers of Taconing, Johnny and Liza Elorde and the handlers of Lopez.
Liza Elorde was elated when we informed her about our conversation with Sulaiman.
Sulaiman said he will be in Bacolod City for the Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation Convention on March 30-April 1 while Laura Elorde informed us she had invited the WBC president to receive a special posthumous award for his late father and longtime WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman who was always regarded as a genuine friend of the Philippines during the Gabriel ?Flash? Elorde Annual Awards and Banquet of Champions on March 29 at the Sofitel Hotel ballroom.
The mandatory title shot will be Taconing?s second crack at a world crown after he was cheated of victory in a bizarre decision when he fought Thai champion Kompayak Porpramook and lost a hugely controversial 5th round technical decision in Thailand on May 3, 2012.
The WBC Ring Officials Review Committee chairman, veteran boxing judge Tom Kaczmarek who reviewed a DVD copy of the title fight between Porpramook and Filipino Taconing last May 3, 2010 has ?found that the fight should have been a draw, 47-47? although Kaczmarek conceded that ?the referee acted with some confusion in the 4th and 5th round.?
The late WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman had asked for the review after Porpramook was awarded a hugely controversial 5th round technical decision over the No. 6th ranked Taconing, prompting the Filipino boxer?s manager Johnny Elorde to tell Sulaiman he was ?disappointed the way the fight ended? when Korean referee Jae Bong Kim stepped in and stopped the barrage of punches that Taconing was landing in the 5th round after he trapped the champion in a corner.
The South Korean referee was suspended by Don Jose for one year.
The referee stopped the fight, ordered a one point deduction against Taconing because of a cut suffered due to an accidental clash of heads in the previous round.
In his letter to Sulaiman, Elorde said ?we feel the fight should not have been stopped because the cut was too small.? His view was supported by boxing writers including the report on boxrec.com and Fight News which also ran a video of the fight.
Elorde also noted that the Thai ring doctor was ?atop the ring even if the fight was still going on.? Elorde claimed that ?Kompayak could have gone down if referee Kim did not stop it.?
The WBC president told The Standard that from what he saw ?the DVD is not very clear in the critical moments of the fight.? Sulaiman said the referee ?made a mistake by not deducting a point from Taconing for the accidental head-butt (immediately) but also one other in not deducting a point from Porpramook.?
Sulaiman said the cut was ?not seen well in the DVD but it was not bleeding much. I think the referee acted too soon to take the boxer to the doctor but it was the doctor who stopped the fight.? The WBC president said the doctor has been in the WBC for about 15 years.
?Lightning? Taconing who has a record of 22-2-1 with 18 knockouts won the vacant OPBF title with an 11th round TKO over countryman Vergilio Silvano and retained the crown with a 10th round technical decision over rugged Jomar Fajardo on Seotember 12 last year.
His most impressive victory was against former world champion Ramon Garcia Hirales who had previously lost the title to Donnie Nietes in Bacolod City , when Taconing stopped Hirales in the 10th round after overwhelming the Mexican former world champion winning by a stoppage with just 7 seconds remaining in the final round of a scheduled ten round bout on April 4 last year.
Photo: Ganigan Lopez of Mexico wins the WBC light flyweight world title belt after defeating Yu Kimura of Japan at the Shimazu Arena in Kyoto, Japan Friday.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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