By Derek Bonnett
Following his questionable decision over Panama’s Anselmo Moreno, WBC bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka met Venezuela’s Liborio Solis in a highly overlooked 118-pound clash. The Japanese champion made the tenth defense of his title at Shimazu Arena, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan in a hotly contested match-up which, for the moment, ranks among the best fights this year.
Yamanaka, one of the best one-two punchers in the sport, jumped out to an early lead with crisp straight punching in the first. The champion was awarded a highly questionable knock down in round two when Solis appeared to slip, but a punch caught him on the shoulder. Solis did quite well after rising and only lost the round by one point on the SecondsOut card due to the bogus nature of the knockdown. Solis responded with an excellent round three. The Venezuelan’s right hand found it’s mark often and with considerable power. Yamanaka twice hit the canvas following clean straight rights. Round four was hotly contested as both men worked to grasp the advantage over the other. Officially, Yamanaka led 37-36 once the open scores were announced. SecondsOut favored Solis 38-37 unofficially.
The challenger remained the more aggressive fighter and he was highly effective in rounds five and six. His right hand was particularly dominant in round six as the champion appeared to slow down. Yet, Yamanaka lashed out in round seven. His left rocked Solis back several times . The champion’s one-twos started finding their mark with more regularity and the tide shifted back his way. Solis, always game, continued to come forward, but his punch accuracy dropped. Officially, Yamanaka led by three dubious scores of 77-72. SecondsOut saw Solis edge falling to 76-75 after eight.
By the start of the ninth, the die was cast and the champion showed the boxing world how to finish in style. Yamanaka was awarded a second knockdown in round nine, but it also looked to be more a matter of balance. Yet, this time, Solis did not protest. Yamanaka being pounding the body of his challenger with a smart jab. As Solis faded, Yamanaka’s energy grew. Yamanaka swept the last four rounds on SecondsOut’s scorecard. The twelfth round saw Solis battered by the champion. The Venezuelan surely exited the round with a broken nose.
Yamanaka won unanimously by unfair scores of 117-107. SecondsOut saw the champion with a much more character building win of 115-112. With his tenth title defense, Yamanaka advanced his ledger to 25-0-2 (17). Solis gamely fell to 23-4-1 (10). A rematch down the road would be a much deserved option for both the challenger and fans.
