Flash Elorde vs. Yoshiaki Numata (1st meeting)

Flash Elorde 135 lbs lost to Yoshiaki Numata 134 lbs by UD in round 12 of 12

• Date: 1966-06-09
• Location: Nihon University Auditorium, Tokyo, Japan
• Referee: Nick Pope 55-57
• Judge: Takeo Ugo 56-58
• Judge: Seiji Ebine 57-58

"Yoshiaki Numata, 134 1/2, won a unanimous 12-round decision over Flash Elorde, 135, which gave him the lightweight championship of the Orient. Numata forced Elorde to fight his way. This meant hitting and running. Flash did not admire this system, but that was the way Numata ordered it and Elorde had to follow the piper. Elorde entered the Nihon University Auditorium the favorite but his Japanese rival lost no time in notifying the big turnout that the advance info had been wrong. There were no knockdowns." -Ring Magazine, September 1966 issue

• Unofficial UPI scorecard - 57-55 Elorde
• Elorde failed the initial weigh-in, coming in at 137. But within one hour weighed in at 135.
• Elorde was already scheduled to fight Carlos Ortiz for the lightweight title in New York later in the year.
• Elorde's world junior lightweight title was not at stake.