SYLVESTER LOPEZ STOPS JAPAN?S FUKUMOTO
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 11 Mar 2012
The brightest prospect in the stable of promoter Gabriel ?Bebot? Elorde Jr, WBC super flyweight silver champion Sylvester Lopez, dropped Japan?s Yuki Fukumoto twice en route to a fourth round stoppage in a tune-up fight at the Elorde Ballroom in Sucat, Paranaque over the weekend.
With the win Lopez sets himself up for a world title fight against the winner of the world title bout between Thailand?s champion Suriyan Sor Rungvisai and Japanese challenger Yota Sato scheduled for March 27 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
The 26 year old Fukimoto whose record dropped to 12-6 with 3 knockouts had previously fought Sato for the Japanese title and lost by a 7th round TKO. The fight against Lopez was his first outside Japan.
A report on that fight said that Sato ?A lanky boxer that typically works from the outside while using footwork to evade his counterpart, could not avoid game but limited Yuki Fukumoto, and was forced to stop and trade more often than he would have preferred. The more talented titleholder , Sato, likely won every round on the scorecards but looked very uncomfortable against a clearly lesser opponent. A couple of flush right hands finally met the mark in the seventh and Sato forced the stoppage with a barrage shortly after opening a cut over Fukumoto?s right eye.?
Fukumoto was actually coming off a 6th round TKO loss to Masamichi Nozaki last December 12, 2011.
The 24 year old Lopez who improved to 19-3-1 with 15 knockouts was coming off a 1st round knockout of Thai patsy Chapayok Sitnarits in Laoag City last December 3.
Prior to that Lopez put on a terrific performance to score an 8th round TKO victory over fancied Mexican Oscar Ibarra in a title eliminator in Mexico to clearly deserve a crack at the world title.
The third-ranked Sato gets his first shot at a world title after vacating the Japanese super flyweight crown earlier this month that he successfully defended five times.
He said "It's been my dream to fight in a world title match since I was a child," the 27-year-old said. "It's a great honor to do it at Korakuen Hall, where I've fought for many years, in front of my supporters."
Sato owns a record of 23-2 with 12 knockouts and one draw.
Suriyan defeated Japan's Nobuo Nashiro in a unanimous decision in Bangkok last November.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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