Center for Labor Education & Research, University of Hawaii - West Oahu: Honolulu Record Digitization Project
Honolulu Record, Volume 10 No. 3, Thursday, August 15, 1957 p. 4
"Fists Across Sea" Brings Fans In Droves; Formosa, Japan Teams Score
By Staff Writer
Not only does it seem to generate all manner of international good will for the nationals of various countries travelling to and fro to bust one another in the snoot. It also pays profits because the boxing fans turn out in droves to see the genial bloodshed and the good will and everything.
The "Fists Across the Sea" match Monday night was the biggest kind of success.
Nobody had seen, anything like it since Frankie Fernandez was in his prime. The boxing fans flooded into the Civic Auditorium, 4,134 of them, and paid $6,179.50 into the tills of that establishment to see the boxing teams of China, Japan and Okinawa compete against the local boys.
Both Chinese and Japanese teams showed well against assorted local amateurs, the Chinese winning four and losing three, the Japanese whining two and losing three. Hawaii won seven and lost six.
In the main event, the one-man Okinawa team, Hidehiro Toyoshi-ma, a flyweight, lost a decision to Ray Perez, member of the U.S. Olympic team and champion, at the Seattle tournament in the division. Toyoshima perhaps gained some stature in losing, however, for he carried the fight to Perez all the way, a dangerous thing to do, and actually made a pretty even fight of it for the first round and a half.
In the third round though, Perez landed several hard hooks and insured a victory.
Heiji Shimabukuro, looking faster and hitting harder than ever, dropped speedy Tadao Kawamura of Japan at the end of the. second round, opening an old cut, and waltzed through an easy, third round to a decision in the semifinal.
Although the fight was railed at 112 lbs., you never know with Heiji, since he's just as likely to be fighting at 119, the weight in which he took the title at Seattle.
Tough Tony in Gentle Mood
All three of Hawaii's champions at Seattle seemed a little loath to turn loose any killer spirit against their opponents from overseas, but the kindliest of the three was Tough Tony Pascua of City-wide who had a hard time working up a "mad" against smiling Lopu Chang of the Republic of China.
The usual mariner here, of course, is to wine the visiting athlete, dine him at a sumptuous luau, hang a lei around his neck and then let him have it very good after the bell rings or the whistle blows. But Hawaii's three champions from Seattle seemed almost benign in their treatment of their foes.
Perhaps they were thinking about the good will.
Anyhow, in the third round. Pascua woke up enough to plaster Chang with a few good right hands and take a decision that was fairly close until then.
One local fighter who forgot all hospitality once he'd finished with the business of the lei was Floyd Gatuian, 125-pounder. Gatuian had lost to Kouhei Okada of Japan at Seattle and he was out to reverse this decision. If he hadn't been so wild, he might have done it by a kayo, but after dropping his opponent in the third for a no-count, he fanned the air with swings that either missed or bounced off Okada's invulnerable points. Gatuian's decision was clear cut, nevertheless. The only knockout of the evening was of the technical variety, scored by Osamu Takahashi of Japan who cut Leroy Paredes, Hawaii Youth, over the left eye, and won by a TKO in the third when Referee Bill Pacheco stopped the fight. Takahashi was well ahead at the time, having exchanged volleys of rights and lefts with Paredes for two rounds and won the advantage most of the time. The men are in the 1-7 pound class.
Body-Puncher Scores
Kenji Yonekura, Japanese 119-pounder, turned out to be an expert body puncher and he wore Bobby Perreira of Hilo down in two rounds to take a clear decision when he shifted his attack to the head in the third.
Likewise, Chi-yu Lew, Chinese 147-pounder, though a southpaw, turned out to have a right hand so educated in hooking and jabbing that he used it to counter-punch a clear cut decision over Charles Uchiyama, Hawaii A.C.
Alfred Santiago, well known in local amateur circles several years ago, returned in the colors of the U.S. Marines to roughhouse a decision over Osamu Seiyama of Japan in the 139-pound class. It was a fight that looked like a street brawl in the second round and like a slow motion picture in the third, when both men had become arm-weary.
It was also the wildest and most exciting fight of the evening and had the customers roaring with applause and international good will.
Perhaps the closest fight of the evening was one in which Henry Wong, Chinese 132-pounder, took a decision from George Dutro, Citywide, formerly of Maui. Dutro proved much the harder puncher but Wong's superior boxing took the eye of the judges. In the opinion of this writer, it might have gone either way.
Liao Beats Colburn
Hsing-chen Liao, a clever 139-pounder from Formosa, piled up enough points in the first two rounds over Marcus Colburn, City-wide, to maintain an edge and take the decision, though he caught a few good blows in the third.
Bobby Kishimoto, local 125-pounder now attending San Jose State College, took a decision over Chen-sung Hung of China with a third round that saw him scoring right arid left-hand tattoos to the head.
Su-ho Yuan, Chinese 112-pounder, took a close decision over Robert Macario of Citywide, the stronger puncher of the pair, by superior boxing skill.
In the opening of the "Fists Across the Seas" fights, Wilis Lowery, .U.S. Marines, took a lopsided decision over Sze-chuan Len of China in the 156-pound class, this being the most inexperienced fighter the China team showed.
The local bouts opened the show, Alfred Dela Cruz, .Aiea Eagles, taking a close decision over Lawrence Canape, Veterans, in the 125-pound class, and Paul Okudara wining the duke over Carmen Scialabba, Marines, in the 132-pound class. This last decision was announced with Scialabba as the winner, and brought a chorus of boos. Later one of the judges explained he had been confused when he wrote his slip and intended to call Okudara the winner.
It was the return of Willie Whittle to the ring as a referee, said a couple of waggish fans, that caused the big turnout. It's been about seven -years since Willie was active and he got encouraging cheers and good-natured jeers from the old-timers as he worked; the first three bouts. He was seen to shake his head doubtfully after collecting the slips on one bout.
You guessed it—that was the one that got reversed.
Some kind of possible international incident was avoided when air hands decided hot to make a flag-waving ceremony of the opening. The trouble was— what flag should be used for Okinawa? If the Japanese flag were used, the Japanese diplomats might be upset. Mike Todar, the Okinawa coach, was willing to carry some kind of sports pennant if necessary, but it was decided to stick to the waving of fists and forget the waving of flags.