FUENTES-IKEHARA COULD BE ?FIGHT OF THE YEAR? IN JAPAN
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 08 Jun 2010
There is a growing consensus that as of now the first title defense of Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation flyweight champion Rocky Fuentes against Japan?s power-punching challenger Shigetaka Ikehara could well be the ?Fight of the Year? in Japan.
Some 2,000 fight fans at the historic Korakuen Stadium rose to their feet to give both fighters a standing ovation after an action-packed, slam-bang title fight in which there was never a dull moment.
In the end the 24 year old Fuentes who may well be among the better Filipino boxers who fails to get the recognition he deserves because his record doesn?t reflect how good he is, which is similar to the situation of WBO Oriental bantamweight champion Michael Domingo, won by an 11th round TKO when the corner of an exhausted and battered Ikehara threw in the towel in surrender.
With the win Fuentes who won the crown with a majority decision over another Japanese Masafumi Okubo on March 9, 2010 improves to 26-6-2 with 16 knockouts while the game 28 year old Ikehara drops to 20-2-2 with 16 knockouts.
The hard-hitting and courageous Filipino is expected to move up in the world ratings of the WBC where he is currently ranked No. 9.
ALA Promotions public relations manager Chad Canares who was with Fuentes in Japan said ?it was an excellent fight and the Japanese said it was the 'Fight of the Year' and until it ended there was no telling who would win.?
Canares said that Fuentes ?won the first two rounds and Ikehara was groggy on two occasions? but the Japanese came back strong in rounds three and four and caught Fuentes with strong punches prompting Canares to think ?this is it because Rocky was super groggy. Good thing it happened in the last 15 seconds of the round which helped Fuentes to recover in time for the next round.?
Canares said they hammered each other and ?staggered around the ring sometimes as though they were drunk .?
Canares said the tenth round was the most dramatic as Fuentes was off his stool and up in his corner while Ikehara was ?still seated on his stool looking at Rocky who appeared to be saying come on lets go, lets fight. It was only then that Ikehara stood up but he had nothing left in him.?
In round eleven Ikehara was really terribly groggy as the superbly conditioned Fuentes went for the kill and the Japanese corner threw in the towel.
According to Canares, Fuentes approached Ikehara after the fight and told him ?you are a very good fighter. You are a strong puncher to which Ikehara responded ?no, no, no. You are very good. You are better.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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