FILIPINO PACQUIAO SCORES FIRST ROUND KO OVER TERAO IN TOKYO

by Joe Koizumi

May 18, 1998
TOKYO, JAPAN--Korakuen Hall--The OPBF flyweight champ MANNY PACQUIAO, a Filipino lefty, 114, looked impressive in blasting out Japanese newcomer SHIN TERAO, 113 3/4, dropping him 3 times en route to an automatic stoppage at 2:59 of the first round in a scheduled non-title 10. Pacquiao, 21 , overpowered and swarmed over the shorter Japanese who attempted to outleg the hard-hitting champ. But Pacquiao caught him with a vicious left and floored him for the mandatory 8 count. Though Terao, JBC #2 ranked fly, 27, pulled himself up, he looked so rubbery-legged that Pacquiao went for a kill, dropping him with a vicious combo again. Terao tried to clinch and last the opening canto, but Pacquiao landed a solid left uppercut to the Japanese victim and sent him sprawling to the deck for the 3rd time.

Pacquiao, who dethroned Thailander Chokchai 3K-Battery on a 5th-round KO last Jun., looked rough, but his potential power was finely displayed before the Japanese crowd. Pacquiao bettered his mark to 23-1, 14 KOs. Terao, who had stunned the crowd with an unexpected draw with #1 ranked fly contender Kazuhiro Ryoko in his previous bout, fell to 9-3-1, a KO.

UNDERCARDS:
Veteran lefty Shinichi Komatsu, JBC #8 ranked welter, 147, withstood a shaky start, and began controling less experienced Masaru Numata, 146 1/2, to finally halt him at 1:57 of the 9th in a scheduled 10.

The hard-hitting Numata often caught the lefty with leading rights, winning 3 rounds in the first 4 sessions. But the tide turned from the 5th, as Komatsu caught the fading foe with combinations from all angles. The 9th saw Numata hit the deck with Komatsu's left and barely raised himself with a towel fluttering to save him from his corner. Komatsu, 29, is 11-9-3, 4 KOs. He had failed to win the national jr. welter title only to lose to Hiromu Kuwata twice--both on points--in 1994 and 1996.

Unbeaten Ieyasu Yashiro, soft-punching ex-All Japan high school champ, 105, scored a nearly shutout decision over Filipino Rogelio Lapian, 103 3/4, over 8. The lefty Yashiro bettered his mark to 5-0, no KO. Lapian reportedly dropped to 9-8-1, 7 KOs.
Promoter: Kyoei Promotions.
(5-18-98)

--
Joe Koizumi
japjoe@t3.rim.or.jp
If you wish to refer to my previous reports, please access to:
http://www.ring-japan.com/oriental.htm

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