Taniguchi picks up stoppage, Singh upsets Takesako, Paras claims controversial decision over Kyoguchi
Earlier today fight fans in South Korea had one of the best shows the country has had in years, with Treasure Boxing putting on a show PARADISE CITY in Incheon.
The bout featured 3 notable bouts.
The first of those went as most expected, with former WBO Minimumweight champion Masataka Taniguchi (18-4, 12) [谷口将隆] stopping the experienced Filipino Jaysever Abcede (22-14, 13) in the 5th round. The hard hitting Taniguchi really needed a big performance here and he had that, dropping Abcede twice on route to the stoppage. Sadly for Abcede, who was one seen as one of the best regional journeymen, and a tough, rugged guy who comes to fight, this is his 4th stoppage loss in 5 fights, and we do wonder if this is a sign that his toughness and punch resistance is pretty much gone. For Taniguchi this bout potentially sets him up for a shot a Light Flyweight world title, though it’s hard to know if he still has what it takes to compete at the top level.
The second bout of note saw the OPBF Middleweight title change hands, as Kazuto Takesako (16-2-1, 15) [竹迫司登] came up short against 37 year old Tej Pratap Singh (19-7-3-1, 8), in a split decision. Takesako struggled to land his powerful shots, or dictate the bout, as Singh landed shots up close, smothered the range and tempo when he needed to and simply landed the better, more telling shots through much of the bout. For Singh this is a great bounce back following a stoppage loss the last time he fought, which was also in South Korea where he was stopped by Deok No Yun. Sadly for Takesako this is his second loss, and actually comes 13 months after his first, in the very same arena, against Meiirim Nursultanov.
The card managed to end on a controversial note, with former 2-weight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi (18-2, 12) [京口紘人] losing in a rematch against Filipino fighter Vince Paras (21-2-1, 15). A rematch that many independent observers felt Kyoguchi had done enough to win with his accuracy, jabs and body shots being particularly effective. Paras, who was aggressive throughout and applied pressure form the off, but seemed to struggle to land much clean, was however impressing the judges. Despite seeming to land the better shots, particularly in the first 5 rounds, the judges seemed to prefer the aggression, as ineffective as it was at times, of Paras, who took the decision with scores of 97-93, twice, and 96-94, leading some to question the officiating, including Kyoguchi himself who questioned it on social media after looking genuinely shocked when the winner was announced.
The bout was seen by many as an eliminator for a world title, though given the result and the controversy regarding the decision there are calls for a third bout between the two.
The bout featured 3 notable bouts.
The first of those went as most expected, with former WBO Minimumweight champion Masataka Taniguchi (18-4, 12) [谷口将隆] stopping the experienced Filipino Jaysever Abcede (22-14, 13) in the 5th round. The hard hitting Taniguchi really needed a big performance here and he had that, dropping Abcede twice on route to the stoppage. Sadly for Abcede, who was one seen as one of the best regional journeymen, and a tough, rugged guy who comes to fight, this is his 4th stoppage loss in 5 fights, and we do wonder if this is a sign that his toughness and punch resistance is pretty much gone. For Taniguchi this bout potentially sets him up for a shot a Light Flyweight world title, though it’s hard to know if he still has what it takes to compete at the top level.
The second bout of note saw the OPBF Middleweight title change hands, as Kazuto Takesako (16-2-1, 15) [竹迫司登] came up short against 37 year old Tej Pratap Singh (19-7-3-1, 8), in a split decision. Takesako struggled to land his powerful shots, or dictate the bout, as Singh landed shots up close, smothered the range and tempo when he needed to and simply landed the better, more telling shots through much of the bout. For Singh this is a great bounce back following a stoppage loss the last time he fought, which was also in South Korea where he was stopped by Deok No Yun. Sadly for Takesako this is his second loss, and actually comes 13 months after his first, in the very same arena, against Meiirim Nursultanov.
The card managed to end on a controversial note, with former 2-weight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi (18-2, 12) [京口紘人] losing in a rematch against Filipino fighter Vince Paras (21-2-1, 15). A rematch that many independent observers felt Kyoguchi had done enough to win with his accuracy, jabs and body shots being particularly effective. Paras, who was aggressive throughout and applied pressure form the off, but seemed to struggle to land much clean, was however impressing the judges. Despite seeming to land the better shots, particularly in the first 5 rounds, the judges seemed to prefer the aggression, as ineffective as it was at times, of Paras, who took the decision with scores of 97-93, twice, and 96-94, leading some to question the officiating, including Kyoguchi himself who questioned it on social media after looking genuinely shocked when the winner was announced.
The bout was seen by many as an eliminator for a world title, though given the result and the controversy regarding the decision there are calls for a third bout between the two.