Yap, Lunas easily retain OPBF titles

A couple of Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) champs were able to successfully defend their belts on Sunday.

In Kanazawa, Japan, WBC No. 7 OPBF bantam titlist Rolly Matsushita (aka Rolly Lunas), a Japan-based Filipino, successfully retained his regional title with a 9th-round stoppage of Japanese Ryuichi Funai (17-6, 11 KOs).

Rolly (33-8-1, 20 KOs) had Funai on the verge of a first round demolition when he had the nervous challenger staggering from pillar to post. Whipping him from all angles, Rolly earned a one-sided win from the judges: 80-72, 79-72, 79-72.

Referee Fukuchi called a well-timed halt as the champ swarmed over the bloodied victim in the fatal round. Rolly, who failed to win the WBA belt from Ansermo Moreno in Panama in 2008, posted his third defense since recapturing the regional belt.

Meanwhile, in Osaka, OPBF featherweight king Hiroshige Osawa (22-3-4, 11 KOs), barely retained his title winning via split draw (116-114 for him, 114-115 against him and 115-115) against Noriyuki Ueno (14-11-5, 5 KOs) over 12 close rounds.

Ueno mixed it up, stalking the faster champ with a solid shot at a time. Osawa, making his third defense, was behind on points after the eighth due to the open scoring system but rallied in the latter rounds.

Undercard in Kanazawa

OPBF No. 14 super-bantam, Mark John Yap (18-8, 10 KOs) of the Philippines, won via unanimous decision (78-75, 78-74, 79-74) over local prospect Akihiro Matsumoto (10-4-1, 5 KOs); Jonathan Baat (21-4-3, 10 KOs), a southpaw Filipino residing in Kanazawa, defeated Chinese Qiu Xiang Jun (4-1, 1 KO), by unanimous decision while Filipina southpaw Jesebelle Pagaduan (2-0, 2 KOs), scored a fine TKO win over Chinese Li Yun Ting (0-3) in the fourth and final round. /Correspondent Dale Rosal