The ESB British Forum Encyclopedia

It is a good fight.

At 0:58 of the first vid', he catches Gomez coming in with a left hook and flops him.

One of the few times I've ever seen Gomez bothered in any way at 122 (pre Sanchez of course)

 

Got there before I had a chance to warn ya' ;-)

 

Gomez was such a good boxer at 122, early on

 

At his best against Davila IMO, especially for early performances. Movement and punch picking at it's best, and finishing ability is off the map.

 

His top 5 is like this

1. Davila
2. Zarate
3. Laporte
4. The one El Buija likes Juan Carlos or some **** like that he fought him twice, its the first fight, second one was ****
5. Holmes
6. Kim

 

[url]http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9005917&postcount=116[/url] :good

 

****ing hell, my mistakeatsch

 

Aye, I'd say that's about right. Ain't seen no.4 though. I don't think.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEXWOv9TeVA&playnext=1&list=PLAD163EF5A48316E6[/ame]

This is the rmeatch, its Juan Antonio Lopez. The first fight is a clinic.

I love the Laporte fight, he basically backs up a granite chinned Featherweight using his power

 

Yeah, Laporte was ****in' nails :deal

Is the first fight on there as well then lad?

Totally off course, but what do you think of Ebihara?

 

Could only find the second fight, the first fight was on there though.

Laporte was a hardy ******* but Gomez really intimidated him IMO, beat him as clear as anyone ever did.

Not seen too much of Ebihara, just seen highlights of his rematch with Accevelo and it looked a good fight, that Accevelo is great to watch though.

 

:yep

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgP-NdspDlc[/ame]

 

Name: Kuniaki Shibata

Height:: 5 ft. 4in (163cm)

Birth: 1947-03-29

Boxing record
Total fights 56
Wins 47
KO's 25
Losses 6 (5)

This content is protected

Kuniaki Shibata could be caught cold, and was quite a few times. In fact, at times his whiskers looked to fail him whenever he tried to get a foothold in a packed Featherweight division, but somehow, with perseverance and hard work, this hard-working Japanese managed to win belts in two divisions, and amassed some quality wins on his ring record.

He had a varied offence, was a respectable puncher to head and body, and complimented rounded style with fast hands in combination and bounced around the ring consistently, blending offence and defence seamlessly. When settled into a fight, he was a formidable fighter who could maintain a high pace well into the championship rounds. Catch him early and he was fairly easy to vanquish.

He was one of the best Featherweights in Japan in the late 60s, but had failed in his attempts to step up the ladder, being stopped in a challenge for the OBPF 126lb title, and also by fringe contender Dwight Hawkins.

But stepping up against a recently out of retirement legend for the WBC Featherweight championship, Shibata produced a career best performance: against legendary Mexican Vicente Saldivar. Saldivar, who had 'retired' as the undisputed champion, had returned with hard-fought decision wins over ATG Featherweight Jose Legra and solid champion Johnny Famechon, to jump back to the top of the division within two fights. Those were tough distance fights (10 and 15 respectively) and you can't help but imagine Shibata being seen as an easy defence for the ageing champion. Shibata however, took the game away from him, using his faster hands to wear down the lethargic, battle-won Saldivar.

Shibata showed his full repertoire; when warmed up and focused, he slipped Saldivars shots well, landed a stiff jab and picked his spots well with a nice straight right from mid-range, which with his bouncing in and out of range, he could pop frequently which made it hard for Saldivar to time his own solid counters. On the inside, Shibata let off fast combinations, throwing hooks to the body with both hands. Saldivar put up a strong effort late, but the damge had already been done.

Kuniaki Shibata was the best 126lber in the World, working hard to come through some rough moments against a fighter who was still a top-notch solid competitor, although undoubtedly removed from his very best days.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLp55GIuXy8[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKJiPG9rcFo&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUj-I3wStOQ&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-FoBa-P2X0&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77W7Pxq1fxA&feature=related[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC_5qCagfRY&feature=related[/ame]

Shibata scored a brutal first round stoppage in defence of his WBC featherweight title against experienced Raul Cruz. Cruz had a deceptive record of 16-5 going into the bout, but had faced seriously tough competition, including Ricardo Arredondo (1-0), Rafael Herrera (1-0), Lionel Rose (1-0), Chuco Castillo, (1-1), Rodolfo Martinez (0-1) and Clemente Sanchez (0-1) all former or future World champions. Shibata came out quick and wiped him out with a fearsome two-fisted assault, knocking the first challenger to his featherweight title totally unconscious.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qpLDykgJXQ[/ame]

The next defence of his title was against Panamanian stylist Ernesto Marcel. The fight was ruled a draw, but is regarded by anyone that has seen it as a robbery in the Japs favour. Marcel would have to wait to win a belt of his own, but Shibata was not going to hold onto his for much longer.

Six months later, he was spectacularly blown away by Mexican puncher Clemente Sanchez. Showing again he could be caught early, Shibata tries to recover but his vulnerabilities are clear to see: he's done, and slumps to the mat, losing his title by crushing K.O, and not for the last time.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2HeFGZWCyA&feature=related[/ame]

Shibata moved up to Super Featherweight, and pulled off an incredible victory over ATG super featherweight Ben Villaflor of The Phillipines, with a wide decision win to claim the WBA version of the title. Shibata made a single defence, against dangerous Argie contender Victor Echegaray, who had pushed Villaflor to a close draw, before being matched up with Villaflor again.

The size difference here is immense. Villaflor was a strong, rugged fighter and a massive 130lber who was never stopped in sixty-six contests. Shibata, despite his vulnerability early in his fight, was never scared to mix it up, and tries to stamp his authority on the fight early, throwing fast combinations. The beastly Filipino shows his strength advantage, pushing Shibata out of the ring, before he regains the belt with a truly savage one punch K.O.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OZRGM6sHW4[/ame]

In his next fight, Shibata claimed the WBC title with a 15-round decision win over Ricardo Arredondo, and defended the belt title three times against seemingly average opposition. To give an idea of his form at the time, United Press Int. said "Kuniaki Shibata of Japan successfully defended his WBC junior lightweight championship Thursday night by scoring a one-sided unanimous decision over Ould Makhloufi of Algeria in their 15 round match." He also defended his title by punching out a late stoppage against Ecuadorian journeyman contender Ramiro Bolanos, another big super feather who had mixed in good company. Here, you see Shibata landing his sharp counters, and then following up with aggression that showed he was undettered by his several heavy K.O losses. Going into the 12th, both champion and challenger are badly marked up, but Shibata demonstrates his counter punching ability here. Bolanos, badly damaged and desperately outclassed, is saved after another series of accurate shots from Shibata. Well worth a watch :good


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CumwrAupzxE&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

He lost his title again by early K.O to great Super Featherweight champion Alfredo Escalera, probably best known for his two wars with Alexis Arguello. Shibata rounded off his career with two wins over decent domestic opposition, and bowed out on a 3-fight winning streak

Kuniaki Shibata faced quality opposition, and won more fights at the top level than he lost. He showed you can bounce back from devastating stoppage losses if you have the desire, and fighting talent to overcome vulnerabilities in punch resistance. He was a two-weight World champion in a time where that still meant something, and was the first man to stop ATG Featherweight champion Vicente Saldivar. He was a very good operator who achieved a lot despite his tendency to get blown out early in important fights.

 

Since when was Marcel a peruvian stylist?

 

atsch Fixed, was typing fast without much thought :good It pays to know someone knowledgeable who hasn't fried their brain with skunk

He was definitely a very stylish boxer though, regardless of nationality :deal

You seen anything else on Shibata? I got more on coming through on DVD.