Guts Ishimatsu vs. Arturo Pineda (1st meeting)

Guts Ishimatsu 135 lbs drew with Arturo Pineda 135 lbs by SD in round 15 of 15

• Date: 1974-09-12
• Location: Aichi Prefectural Gym, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
• Referee: Takeshi Makimura 74-73
• Judge: Masao Kato 72-72
• Judge: Hachiro Aki 71-74

"WBC lightweight champion 'Guts' Ishimatsu of Japan retained his title in a controversial 15 round draw with Mexican challenger Tury Pineda that drew a complaint from Pineda's camp. Harry Kabakoff, Pineda's manager, complained about "bad scoring" by Japanese officials. Ishimatsu and Pineda engaged in a toe-to-toe slugfest throughout in the prefectural gymnasium in Nagoya. Pineda, the 9th ranked lightweight contender, was aggressive throughout the fight and threw more punches. There were no knockdowns. Kabakoff said Pineda was a "clear-cut winner" by at least four points and that his view was shared by "all the public, boxing writers and TV men." Kabakoff accused Ishimatsu of "repeated buttings" and said the champion should have been penalized and had his points reduced by two to three points. Pineda had cuts over both his eyes in the 7th round and heavy bleeding from his injuries appeared to have bothered him in later rounds. Both fighters exchanged blows from start to finish. Pineda kept stepping in, forcing the champion to backpedal in most rounds." -United Press International

Post fight comments

• "I wasn't in good shape. I was nervous and could not throw my left punches effectively." -Guts Ishimatsu

• "We will file a formal complaint with the WBC when we return to Mexico and demand a rematch either in Tokyo or Los Angeles." -Harry Kabakoff, Pineda's manager