Samuel Serrano vs. Yasutsune Uehara '1980 Upset of the Year'

[Rover]

August 2, 1980

Joe Louis Arena - Detroit, Michigan

WBA Super-Featherweight Championship

WBA Champion - Samuel 'Sammy' Serrano ~ 42-3-2 (15 KO's)
vs.
#1 WBA - Yasutsune Uehara ~ 25-4-0 (20 KO's)

Sammy Serrano, who was making the 6th-Defense of his Championship, since winning the
Tiltle back in October 1976, was a 'heavy' Betting-Favorite to defend his title. The 27 1/2 year-old
Champion was at the 'Top-of-his-Game', and was looking at a possible future lucrative money bout with
WBA Lightweight Champion - Hilmer Kenty next.

The Champion at 5' 9" was a tall and elusive boxer, and one that could frustrate the hell out of anybody
with his movement, and continuous sharp counter-punching skills. This bout looked to be another 15-Round
boxing lesson that Sammy would 'dish-out' - over another short Challenger that Serrano feasted on.

Yasutsune Uehara, a 30 year-old veteran from Japan, was a muscular-compact fighter at 5' 5". Yasutsune
made no surprise of what he wanted to. He wasn't here in America to box, he was here to 'bomb', as he carried
T-N-T in his right hand.

Yasutsune, who was famous in Japan for his 'Leopard Trunks' and knockout fists was an 8-1 Betting-Underdog,
and many didn't expect him to get anywhere near the 'slick-boxing' Champion. The boxing pundits expected
this to be a one-sided boxing lesson, with Yasutsune to be on the receiving end.

Serrano was making his eleventh title defense.

[Rover]

I've never seen the rematch, but I'm surprised the scores were so close given the way Fight 1 was going. (I haave Fight 1.)

[Rover]

Rover,

Yatsutsune Uehara vs. Samuel Serrano II is on 'You Tube'.

It was a typical Sammy Serrano performance - of sticking, moving and clinching. Yasutsune Uehara pressed, but he
could not land anything decent on Sammy through the first '10-Rounds'.

Yasutsune started to close the range in Round 11, and from Rounds 12 thru 15 the Champion rattled Sammy a few times,
but couldn't land the 'big one'.

UPI had it {145-143} or 7-5-3 in Rounds for Samuel Serrano.