EX OLYMPIC BOXER IGARASHI EARNS MANDATORY SHOT AT WBC FLYWEIGHT CHAMPION PONGSAKLEK
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 07 Nov 2011
Former Japanese Olympic boxer Toshiyuki Igarashi (15-1-1, 10 KOs), ranked No. 2 by the WBC has earned a mandatory shot at reigning WBC flyweight champion Pongsaklek Wonjongkam of Thailand with a unanimous twelve round decision over No. 2 ranked Wilbert Uicab (33-6-1, 18 KOs) of Mexico in a WBC final eliminator in a hard fought battle on Sunday in Tokyo, Japan.
All three judges, Americans Rocky Burke (116-112) and Duane Ford (114-113) and Britain?s John Lewis (116-111) , all scored the fight in favor of the southpaw Igarashi.
It was a contrast in styles as the lanky Japanese southpaw engaged the stocky Mexican. Igarashi used his height and reach to advantage and worked behind a quicker jab and nifty combinations while Uican landed the bigger shots capitalizing on a solid left hook.
A headbutt in the fifth round resulted in Uicab beginning to bleed from a gash on the side of the skull which seemed to spur him on to be more aggressive. But Igarashi banked on his skill in rounds nine and ten but was temporarily stalled when he too suffered from an accidental head-butt by Uicab.
However, Igarashi took the final round to emerge a deserved winner and set himself up f or a title crack at Thai veteran Pongsaklek who successfully retained his title in a mandatory defense against former champion Edgar Sosa.
Uicab is the same Mexican fighter who won the WBC silver title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Edrin Dapudong of the Philippines in Cancun on September 17, 2010.
After the bout Dapudong's manager, former North Cotabato governor Manny Pinol showed media several inexplicable cuts on Dapundong's body but nothing ever happened over the complaints.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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