VINVIN RUFINO DESERVES A REMATCH
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 08 Mar 2010
Judging by all accounts Filipino challenger Vinvin Rufino deserves a rematch against
Japan’s newly crowned Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation featherweight champion Naoki Masuda who is ranked No. 13 by the World Boxing Council.
Hall-of-Fame boxing writer, TV commentator, manager and matchmaker Joe Koizumi no less said the exciting battle for the vacant title was a definite contender for “Fight of the Year” in Japan.
Filipino journalist Rey Danseco scored the fight for Rufino 114-111 while the Japanese judge scored it for Matsuda 114-112 and the Thai judge also gave it to Matsuda by a 114-111 margin.
Danseco said that Matsuda was bleeding from a cut on his right eye and also his nose after the fourth round.
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.”
Danseco said he returned to Manila along with Rufino, trainer Mario Lumacad and Rufino’s manager Johnny Elorde and wife Liza and feels that Rufino clearly deserves a rematch because it was a great fight and obviously a close one..
Koizumi had 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.
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