We now have a unified light flyweight titlist in Japan’s Ryoichi Taguchi. The new dual belt holder put on an excellent performance in winning a decision over Milan Melindo this morning on Japan’s traditional New Year’s Eve card. Sho Kimura and Hiroto Kyoguchi also successfully defended their world titles at home as well.
Despite the eventual loss, Milan Melindo (37-3, 13 KOs) had good first two rounds. He closed an otherwise uneventful first with a right hand upstairs and had tossed in some good body work along the way too. Ryoichi Taguchi (27-2-2, 12 KOs) pressured with his jab a bit more effectively in the second, but I still though the Melindo left hooks to the body were the real damaging blows landing.
Taguchi got going in third behind his good pressure jab and sudden quality display of lateral slipping and ripping with his right hand. An accidental clash of head also opened a cut on the Filipino. The fourth was close, but I thought Taguchi again edged it on nice one twos and a control of range. When he wanted an in fight, it was an in fight. When he wanted range, Taguchi got that too. Milan was working the body well still though.
Melindo re-stabilized with a good fifth round, but he did suffer from another head clash. He also looked good for the first two minutes of sixth. The Japanese titleholder looked tired and Melindo was working the body well. It didn’t matter, however, as Ryoichi came to life with ripping combinations in last minute to take the round. I had it even after six.
Taguchi then had a real good seventh both muscling with size and shooting from range. Topping himself, he down right dominated eighth frame, maybe buzzing Milan in its first half too with lots of jabs and long right hands. It was the best round from either fighter. The Filipino titleholder rallied in the ninth with Taguchi a littled tired from the output in the eighth, but it only ended up being a real close round as his opponent fired back well too. Of note, another clash of heads this time brought blood from Taguchi.
All of this led to a great tenth round. It was a self contained war with both men firing away. Taguchi was fresher and definitely getting the better though. Fun stuff. The eleventh was marred by more head clashes, but Taguchi saved it with a big rally at the end. Melindo seemed beaten there and the twelfth round did not help. Ryoichi Taguchi finished his second half of the fight dominance with big a final frame. At one point it even appeared that the referee and doctor briefly considered stopping it even, but they didn’t.
I scored it 116-112, giving Taguchi five of the last six rounds. Scores came back with that once and 117-111 twice. These were good cards. Taguchi now holds both the WBA and the IBF light flyweight titles.
WBO flyweight titleholder Sho Kimura (16-1-2, 9 KOs) also made a successful defense of his title with a ninth round stoppage of fellow countryman Toshiyuki Igarashi (23-3-3, 12 KOs) in the show’s co-main event. This was Kimura’s first defense following his upset win over Chinese star Zou Shiming this summer. Much like in that fight, he wore Igarashi out with his high volume style and got a late finish.
IBF minimumweight titlist Hiroto Kyoguchi (9-0, 7 KOs) defended his title too by stopping Carlos Buitrago (30-3-1, 17 KOs) of Nicaragua in the seventh round.
