WBO flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga might have been lucky with the scoring of his fight with the rejuvenated Hiroto Kyoguchi, whom he outscored over 12 rounds in Tokyo, Japan.
There were gasps from the crowd at Kokugikan when two wide scorecards were read out at117-111 and 118-110, with the third margin of 114-113 far more accurate.
And it seemed the veteran two-time champion Kyoguchi deserved more than those wide margins. BoxingScene had him well in the fight, and ahead, by the end.
Yes, he had been knocked down in the 11th but he had largely dictated the manner in which the fight was contested.
Olascuaga, from Los Angeles, California, 9-1 (6 KOs), said: “I’m sorry I couldn’t get a knockout; this is a very tough guy. Two-time world champion, and it shows. I had to box when I needed to box and fought and stood when I needed to do. I wish I could have done more. He has a lot of heart. Honor and respect to the opponent, because he stood his ground.”
The 26-year-old Olascuaga rattled off some heavy shots in the opener, including a left hook and a right uppercut, but Kyoguchi – who has held titles at minimumweight and light-flyweight – threw purposeful jabs and was standing right in front of the heavy-handed American. The second round was equally well matched and, in the third, Kyoguchi landed well to the body with a right hand.
Olascuaga, with dyed pink hair and pink gloves, was putting hooks and uppercuts together in the fourth but he shipped a left hook and then a right in reply as the champion tried to open up a little more.
Both started the sixth quickly, digging in shots to the body and jostling for the advantage. Then both landed good right hands, and Rudy Hernandez, in Olascuaga’s corner, urged his boxer to: “Make it a fight.”
Kyoguchi was looking compact and composed. There was a methodical and experienced look to his approach.
Olascuaga, hands down, tried to work behind his jab more in the seventh and searched for uppercuts behind.
In the ninth, Olascuaga was escorted to the ropes and Kyoguchi again let his hands go, but he fought with his back to the strands and then took a big counter right hand when he emerged.
The champion could not get untracked. He was not able to fight his fight and couldn’t figure out what to do with the man whose fundamentals were wire tight and who was so measured. Olascuaga was reduced to increasingly urgent pitches, but Kyoguchi could not be found to catch.
That written, in the 11th Kyoguchi touched down and was given a count. Olascuaga had just landed a short left and when Kyoguchi tried to throw a right to follow, he hit the deck and it was judged a knockdown. Kyoguchi, 31, did not dispute the call, and instant replays confirmed to the Japan Boxing Commission that a knockdown was the correct judgment.
Olascuaga opted to punch and move the rest of the way but in the final round Olsacuaga cut a much more free-swinging figure and was the aggressor many thought he might have been early on. He had, according to the judges, done more than enough to retain his title; the challenger from Japan, 19-3 (12 KOs), accepted the decision and scorecards with good grace.