Limoz defends title with second-round knockout
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Teddy Limoz Jr. likes his opponents just like his ice cream. Nice and cold.
Honolulu's Teddy Limoz Jr. sends Thailand's Wat Vor Wutinun to the canvas in the second round.
He got both last night in a spectacular second-round knockout of Thailand's Wat Vor Wutinun before about 1,000 fans at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel's Hawai'i Ballroom.
It was Limoz's first defense of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia-Pacific welterweight championship. Limoz, of Honolulu, won the title in August and had not fought since, mostly because of logistical problems.
"I think when you don't fight that long, you get hungry," said Limoz's trainer, Peter Jhun.
Sure enough, Limoz dominated all 5 minutes, 35 seconds of the bout, which was scheduled for 12 rounds.
A right jab to the head, followed by a solid left hook to the body dropped Wutinun to the canvas for the 10 count. It was officially stopped 2:35 into the second round by referee Abe Pacheco.
"Every time I landed a body shot, he would look at me and smile," said Limoz, who trains at Kalihi Valley Gym. "So I knew I was hurting him."
What's more, Limoz said he sensed that Wutinun "wasn't warmed up properly" for the start of the bout.
"He wasn't even sweating," Limoz noted. "Being cold, you can't imagine how a good body shot feels."
Limoz also said he did not want to go the distance against Wutinun. While observing the preliminary bouts, LImoz said he noticed that the other Thai boxers gained strength in the later rounds.
Limoz was also wary of Wutinun's potential, even though he did not know much about the Thai's background.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
"Every punch (the Thai boxers) throw, they try to knock you out," Limoz said. "Conventionally, Thai fighters are slow starters, so I wanted to end this one fast."
Dustin Kim made a triumphant return to Hawai'i, snapping Orose Muengpimile's head back with a solid left.
Limoz also joked that he needed to get to an ice cream shop before it closed at 11.
Jhun said Limoz will have 180 days to set up a mandatory title defense. Because of last night's performance, Jhun will try to lobby for the next bout also to be held in Hawai'i.
"This was an important win for us," Jhun said. "Now we can say that Teddy is the champ and the opponents have to come to us. It doesn't always work that way, but we'll try."
Limoz improved to 10-1 with the ninth knockout of his career, which also included a stint in professional kickboxing. Wutinun dropped to 11-4-1.
In the co-main event, Waipahu's Dustin Kim made a triumphant return to Hawai'i with a 10-round unanimous decision over Thailand's Orose Muengpimile in a matchup of 126-pounders.
It was Kim's first bout in Hawai'i since April 2000, and he improved to 5-0 in Hawai'i. He prevailed by countering Muengpimile's unorthodox style.
"He was an off-beat fighter," Kim said. "Seems like he only wanted to go for one punch. I'm not used to fighting guys like that."
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
Kim countered with various combinations to the body and head throughout the bout. There were no knockdowns, but Kim appeared to stun Muengpimile several times in the latter rounds.
Dustin Kim, right, has Orose Muengpimile ducking for cover during the ninth round. Kim won the 10-rounder by unanimous decision.
"I should have thrown more punches," Kim said. "I was trying to power with him. That's a bad habit I have to get out of."
Muengpimile incited the wrath of the crowd and was deducted one point in the eighth round for punching Kim while the referee tried to separate the fighters. Muengpimile also hit Kim late in the fifth and 10th rounds, but was not penalized.
"He didn't hurt me with any of that, but just the fact that he was doing it was what I didn't like," Kim said. "But it helped me in the end because they took away (one point) from him."
The judges' scores were 96-94, 98-94 and 96-95.
Kim, who had been training out of Las Vegas for the past few years, improved to 19-5. Muengpimile dropped to 11-4.
Kim said he will stay in Honolulu to train and hopes to next earn a shot at the WBO Asia-Pacific featherweight championship.
In other preliminary bouts:
• Jay Saribay of Kalihi improved to 2-0 with a third-round victory over Luis Parra of Los Angeles (2-4).
Saribay unleashed a series of unanswered combinations to Parra's head before the referee stopped the contest with 50 seconds remaining in the third round. The bout between 137-pounders was scheduled for four rounds.
• Detchrit Vor Surapol of Thailand scored a stunning second-round knockout of Kalihi's Jerry Saribay (Jay's older brother).
Surapol landed a solid right uppercut under Saribay's chin, sending Saribay back-first to the canvas. The 147-pound bout was scheduled for six rounds, but stopped at 26 seconds into the second round.
Vor Surapol improved to 10-4 with the fourth knockout of his career. Saribay dropped to 4-5.
• Sarina Sojot from Kalakaua Gym earned a four-round unanimous decision over Melanie Bunao in a female bout at 126 pounds.
The judges' scores were 40-35, 40-36, 40-36. Sojot improved to 2-0; Bunao is 0-1.
Viloria date set
Waipahu boxer Brian Viloria is scheduled to defend his North American Boxing Federation (NABF) flyweight championship on ESPN's Tuesday Night Fights on July 22, according to his manager, Gary Gittelsohn.
The bout will take place at Pismo Beach, Calif., although an opponent has yet to be determined.
"This is still a developing period for Brian, so we're still a little cautious about who we put him up against," Gittelsohn said. "But if the (NABF) title is on the line, it's going to be a quality opponent."
Viloria is 12-0 as a professional with seven knockouts. His last bout was a knockout victory over Mexico's Valentin Leon in Waikiki in April.
