Gasca loses OPBF crown by decision

Kobe, Japan —Filipino Roli Gasca lost his OPBF superbantam title in his first defense with a unanimous decision loss to Japan’s Yukinori Oguni yesterday at the packed Sambo Hall in this city.

It was a close affair in the first four rounds, but the taller Japanese fighter exploded with his bread-and-butter right straight to floor Gasca in the fifth round that seemed to have taken the game away from the Filipino defending champion.

Oguni went for the kill after Gasca beat the count, scoring yet another knockdown moments later in the same round, but the Filipino bravely hang on to survive.

Gasca opted to move in the sixth round to remove cobwebs from his head and remain in contention.

Gasca, sensing he was behind on scorecards, tried to make a fight in the ensuing rounds, engaging the fast-moving Japanese in some exciting exchanges, but the effort proved too little too late as the challenger had built an insurmountable lead to take away the crown.

The three judges scored it 116-111, 115-111 and 119-109 all in favor of the skillful Japanese fighter who proved to be much more technical than his record indicates and possesses a lethal right straight.

“The knockdowns really took a toll on me. I could not execute our gameplan after that,” a visibly frustrated Gasca told Cebu Daily News after the fight.

To his credit, the Filipino fighter showed heart and good stamina all throughout, refusing to lose by stoppage although he was on the brink of a technical knockout defeat after the first knockdown in the fifth.

Gasca, along with trainers Joseph Baldago and Peter Cuizon, all agreed that a rematch would most likely produce a different outcome.

“If there’s a rematch, we are sure things will be different. The knockdowns really changed the momentum of the fight for us. Gasca could have done better,” said Baldago.