Yerroge Gura (left) poses with his opponent, Ayumu Sano, (right) after their WBC youth title bout in Japan. | Photo from ARQ Sports
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuano boxing prospect Yerroge “The Scientific” Gura absorbed his first pro career loss in the hands of Japanese Ayumu Sano last Sunday, June 23, in Shizuoka, Japan.
Gura, who made his debut in Japan for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Youth World super flyweight title, lost to Sano via unanimous decision. All three Japanese judges favored Sano.
Kazunori Ishikawa scored it 99-91, Masakazu Murase scored it 98-92, and Yuji Fukuchi saw the bout 97-93, all in favor of their countryman.
READ: Cebu’s Gura, Japanese foe make weight for WBC youth title duel
The 21-year-old Gura now has eight wins with a defeat, a draw, with three knockouts.
Meanwhile, Sano, also 21, improved his unbeaten record to nine wins with one draw, and four knockouts.
READ: ARQ’s Gura up next to fight in Japan
Gura is the third boxer from Cebu-based ARQ Boxing Stable who fought in Japan. Unfortunately, all of them faltered.
Last December, fellow Cebuano John Paul Gabunilas lost to Kanamu Sakama via a fifth-round technical knockout, while earlier this month, another Cebuano, Rodex Piala, also lost to Kenji Fujita for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific featherweight title in Tokyo, Japan.
READ: ARQ Boxing Stable’s Gura and Piala to debut in Japan
Accurate punches
During Sunday’s bout, both boxers fought cautiously especially in the first three rounds, with Sano landing the more accurate punches through his sharp jabs, while Gura kept pressing forward.
Gura also used his jabs to set up his one-two combination, but Sano defended himself well.
However, Sano’s counterpunching prowess was his huge advantage against the Cebuano boxer.
In the ninth round, Gura landed a jab-straight combination that staggered Sano, but the latter quickly recovered and reasserted his control of the fight.
After Gura, it’s his stablemate, Bryan James Wild’s turn to debut in Tokyo, Japan on July 6 against Subaru Murata.