RHONVEX Capuloy failed to claim the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Far East super featherweight belt after a controversial split technical draw with Chinese Zhi Gang Zhang last Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at the Citizen Gym in Anseong, South Korea.
The fight was stopped in the sixth round after Zhang suffered a huge gash above his eye after an accidental headbutt.
A Filipino judge scored it 58-56 for Capuloy, while the Chinese judge saw it the opposite and gave it 59-55 for Zhang. The Thai judge saw it as a 57-57 draw.
“The score of the Chinese judge was very far. It’s clear that he was biased. It was very clear that Capuloy was beating Zhang and he only gave one round to him,” Big Yellow Boxing Gym head coach Christopher “Ping-Ping” Tepora told SunStar Cebu. “We would like a rematch.”
The 27-year-old Capuloy started to gain momentum in the third round and targeted Zhang’s body. He continued to tag Zhang with his body shots in the following rounds up until the unfortunate clash of heads.
“I was impressed with his performance,” Tepora said of his ward. “He’s ready (for bigger fights).”
Capuloy is now 11-2-2 with eight knockouts, while the 29-year-old Zhang is 8-2-1 with six knockouts.
It was Capuloy’s first fight outside of the Philippines and also his first time fighting for a regional belt.
With the draw, the WBC Far East super featherweight strap remained vacant.