HIDEKI TODAKA, an iron-chinned Japanese, will risk his WBA super-fly belt against the top contender LEO GAMEZ, a Venezuelan veteran, in Nagoya on October 9.
Todaka, 17-2-1, 8 KOs, wrested the WBA 115-pound throne as he dropped Jesus “Kiki” Rojas en route to a unanimous decision over 12 heats in Nagoya on July 31 of the previous year. Since then, Todaka kept it twice, beating hitherto unbeaten Akihiko Nago (W12) and ex-titlist Yokthai Sith-Oar (TKO11).
Gamez, 10 years his senior at 37, previously acquired the WBA championship in three divisions of the 105, 108, and 112 pounds. If he should success in winning the belt from Todaka, he will realize his dream to become the first man to dominate the four championships in the same WBA. Gamez had won the vacant 105-pound title by beating Bongjun Kim in 1988 (yes, 12 years ago), the vacant 108-pound belt by stopping Japanese Shiro Yahiro in 1993, and the 112-pound crown by dismantling Argentine Hugo Soto in the previous year.
The aging veteran Gamez forfeited his 112-pound title, losing to Thailander Sornpichai Kratingdaeng-gym via furiously give-and-take 8 round KO in the latter’s home turf on September 3 of the previous year.
The tiny 5’2” Gamez, 32-7-1, 24 KOs, is a formidable hard-puncher, but he will have just a puncher’s chance, because Todaka is a very durable and game fighter who will be faster and stronger than the Venezuelan. If there is a chance for Gamez to produce an upset victory, it will be due to his lucky one-punch finish in an earlier round. As the fight progresses, Todaka will become stronger and tougher, as usual.
Yokohama Arena will witness a tremendously sensational showdown of compatriots-defending champ Takanori Hatakeyama and hard-punching challenger Hiroyuki Sakamoto-for the former’s WBA lightweight crown on October 11.
It’s a great surprise that our people have shown such great interests in purchasing tickets to see the encounter of the very popular Japanese boys. It must be a very much anticipated match-up of the outstanding Japanese. It’s a Japanese version of a Henry Maske vs. Graciano Rocchigiani, or an Erik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera.
Hatakeyama displayed a miracle-like achievement in dethroning Venezuelan Gilberto Serrano on a spectacular 8th round knockout this June 11 in his first appearance since his farewell to the ring after his forfeiture of the WBA 130-pound title to Mongolian Lakva Sim in June, 1999. The quick-handed and fast-footed Hatakeyama had captured the WBA title from Korean battler Yongsoo Choi (who recently hang up gloves for good) via a hard-fought 12-round decision in Japan in September, 1998.
Sakamoto, on the contrary, had a hard luck thrice in his attempts to win the world lightweight crowns. Sakamoto, a vaunted left hooker, failed to win the WBC 135-pound belt, losing a split nod to Steve Johnston in 1997 and a close but unanimous verdict to Cezar Bazan in 1998. He also couldn’t succeed in taking the W BA crown despite dropping defending champ Gilberto Serrano twice in the first round, eventually losing on a 5th round TKO due to a badly closed optic this March 12.
Sakamoto has been recognized and loved by our aficionados as a game and straightforward hard-puncher who always tries to overwhelm his opposition with his power in his favorite face-to-face competition. Sakamoto acquired the All Japan Novice King tournament in February, 1993. Amazingly did Sakamoto upset formidable national champ Rick Yoshimura via 9th round TKO in December that year. He gained the OPBF light crown by stopping Filipino Roger Boleros in 11 heats in 1996. He has never been beaten by any compatriots.
Hatakeyama, 23-1-2, 18 KOs, may have superiority in speed and skill, plus in youth (he is 4 years his junior at 25). Some of our experts still wonder whether Hatakeyama fully recovered from a one-year inactivity despite his shocking coronation by demolishing the glass-jawed Serrano. Sakamoto, 35-4, 25 KOs, really has some defects from the technical point of view, as shown in his three previous shots at the world titles against Johnston, Bazan and Serrano-despite his tremendous power.
Each has uncertainty in the real power, so it may be hard to pick up the winner. Therefore, people want to see the outcome with their own eyes. Thus, the ticket-selling is tremendously fast and hot with no good seats left.
The newly crowned WBC super-fly champ MASAMAORI TOKUYAMA, a North Korean born and residing in Japan, will risk his title against an once-beaten southpaw hard-puncher AKIHIKO NAGO, of Tokyo, in Osaka most probably on December 12.
Tokuyama shocked the boxing world by upsetting previously unbeaten Korean Injoo Cho on a surprisingly lopsided decision in Osaka on August 27. Hideo Kanazawa, manager/promoter of Tokuyama and ex-Orient junior middle champ, acquired the promotional right from Kusung Lee, Poongsan Promotion, the dethroned champ Cho’s promoter, and thus announced his champ’s first defense.
Tokuyama, 22-2-1, 5 KOs, is a game speedster who dropped Injoo Cho in the 4th and produced a stunning upset. Though he reigned as the OPBF 115-pound champ prior to his title shot, his name wasn’t so well-known here before his unexpected coronation. Tokuyama abruptly rose from nowhere when he scored an upset 5th round TKO victory over two-time ex-world champ Hiroki Ioka to drive him into retirement in 1998.
He acquired the vacant OPBF super-fly belt by eking out a split nod over Thailander Pone Saengmorakot in September of the previous year. He kept the regional title twice, beating Korean champ Kwangwoong Lee (W12) and Indonesian ruler Jack Siahaya (KO2).
Nago, 17-1, 11 KOs, is a highly regarded southpaw managed by Yoko Gushiken, ex-WBA junior fly kingpin who retained his crown no less than 13 times. Having won three national high school championships, Nago, a native in Okinawa, was scouted by his hero Gushiken, also from Okinawa, to enter the paid ranks.
Nago had his first shot at the world title, but revealed his nervousness and less experience in losing to compatriot Hideki Todaka, the WBA 115-pound champ, via unanimous decision in Tokyo on November 7 last. Since then, he scored two wins on points over Felix Marfa and Chatchai Nakornthorn-Parkview.
Though Nago fights a tune-up go against Filipino Archie Villamor (not Ala Villamor who already hung up gloves for good after his annihilation by Ricardo Lopez) in Tokyo on October 16, there will be very little possibility of Nago losing this bout to jeopardize his second crack at the world diadem.
Tokuyama, two years his senior at 26, may have a local advantage and a physical merit, standing some inches taller than the sturdy hard-hitter. But this will be a very competitive fight, as Tokuyama is a very fine speedster with natural reflexes, while Nago is a dangerous lefty whose southpaw right hook can sink his opponent with a single shot. It will be as sensational as the encounter of Hatakeyama and Sakamoto.
WBA interim super-bantam champ ANTONIO CERMENO, Venezuela, will put his title on the line against Japanese prospect KOZO ISHII, in Nagoya, the third biggest city here in Japan, on November 23.
It was announced by Takao Maruki, promoter/manager of Ishii, who failed to win the WBA junior light throne, losing a 15-round decision to Puerto Rican Samuel Serrano in Nagoya in 1978. This interim title bout will be staged by Tenyu Maruki Promotions in association with Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions.
The WBA champ Clarence “Bones” Adams retained his belt on a 6th round TKO over Andres Fernandez in Madison, Wisconsin, on August 5, but he sustained such a serious right hand fracture that he would need a second surgery to be unable to fight until next February. The WBA once urged Adams to meet the interim champ Cermeno in the former’s next defense, but has now sanctioned the Cermeno vs. Ishii interim title go under the condition that the winner must face Adams to unify the WBA 122-pound championship.
Ishii, 23, almost won the WBA crown in Nagoya on November 21 when he was stopped by Nestor Garza in the 12th and final session although he fought a really grueling battle with Garza-107-102 for Ishii, 105-105, and 107-103 for Garza-after the 11th session.
Garza lost his WBA diadem, losing a very lopsided decision to Adams as El Tigre hit the deck twice and was completely outsped and outboxed by the faster opponent last March. Garza obviously looked to have suffered considerable damage left that had been absorbed by Ishii’s tremendously hard punches in his previous defense in Japan.
Ishii, 23-2, 16 KOs, lately scored a couple of KO wins in his comebacking fights since his first crack at the world throne.
Cermeno, 31, acquired the WBA interim 122-pound title by beating compariot Yober Ortega in Venezuela on October 9 last. The lanky Venezuelan, 38-3, 25 KOs, had failed to win the vacant WBA 126-pound diadem, losing to Freddie Norwood in 1998, and lost his feather belt to the same Norwood in 1999-both in Puerto Rico. The elongated Cermeno has reportedly had a serious weight problem, but now that his hope to capture the feather belt unfortunately failed, he will have to remain in the super-bantam division.
Cermeno previously defeated Japanese prospect Yuichi Kasai twice once by a decision in Las Vegas in 1996 and by a 12th round TKO in Yokohama in 1997. For Cermeno, Ishii will be the second Japanese opposition.
Cermeno has a physical advantage, as he is some 4 inches taller than the stocky Japanese. He is also more experienced due to his much longer career. But Ishii, a very hard-hitting battler, can sink his opponent with either hand, is 8 years his junior, plus has no difficulty making the 122-pound limit. It will be a very competitive encounter of the skillful veteran boxer versus the upcoming hard-hitting puncher.
Filipino hard-puncher JOMA GAMBOA, 29-5-1, 20 KOs, will put his newly acquired WBA minimum title on the line against veteran Japanese warrior KEITARO HOSHINO, 20-6, 5 KOs, in Yokohama on December 6.
Gamboa, 27, finally wrested the WBA 105-pound throne as he managed to beat Noel Arambulet, Venezuela, on a split but well-received decision in Tokyo on August 20. Gamboa had won the WBA interim belt by flattening Japanese southpaw Satoru Abe in the 6th in Nagoya on December 4 of the previous year. He also had kept his interim title by unanimously whipping Atsushi Sai in Hachinohe, Japan, on April 9.
The 31-year-old Hoshino, a skillful boxer-puncher, is managed by ex-world fly champ Susumu Hanagata. The shorter 105-pounder gained the national minimum title by scoring an upset 8th round TKO over Keisuke Yokoyama in August, 1996. He retained it on five occasions to his credit.
But Hoshino suddenly hung up gloves with his disappointment in Hanagata’s failure to materialize his world title shot after his 5th defense of his Japanese title over Hiroshi Nakajima, the current OPBF minimum champ, in September, 1998.
Hoshino, however, returned to the ring warfare, decking an important triumph over his grudge rival Keisuke Yokoyama via unanimous nod in Tokyo on February 1. The skillful veteran squared off against Hiroshi Nakajima, though without the latter’s OPBF title at stake, in Tokyo on May 30. Hoshino repeated his victory over Nakajima on a unanimous verdict, moving up in the world ratings.
Gamboa, who has improved technically through his three failures to win the world titles abroad, is a one-punch finisher, as he registered a first-round KO over ex-WBA champ Carlos Murillo in Caracas, Venezuela, to acquire the Fedelatin title in September, 1998. But Hoshino has a very tight defense that may nullify Gamboa’s hard-punching ability, and is as good a counter-puncher as Gamboa.
Some experts here predict Gamboa’s easy title defense, but his overconfidence may cause an upset result, as Injoo Cho, regarded as a prohibitive prefight favorite, astonishingly lost to Masamori Tokuyama last August. If Hoshino covers himself up against Gamboa’s strong shots in earlier rounds to make it a long fight, something may happen. In this regard, it will be a very good card as Hoshino is taken for a best 105-pound Japanese boy here.
YOSAM CHOI, one of the least active WBC champs due to the notorious Korean economy, will defend his WBC light flyweight title against ex-champ SAMAN SORJATURONG, Thailand, in Seoul, Korea, on November 4.
This rematch was once scheduled there on October 8, but Madam Yoenja Shim, an influential promoter of Choi, had to postpone it to November chiefly because of her sponsorship.
Saman, 45-3-1, 34 KOs, had kept his WBC 108-pound belt on ten occasions since he upset Humberto Chiquita Gonzalez via 7th round KO in Los Angeles in 1995. But he wasn’t what he used to be when he failed in his 11th defense, yielding his prestigious title to Yosam Choi, a busy fighting machine, in Korea on October 17 of the previous year. His severe reduction of weight there might account for his unexpectedly poor performance that he seldom threw solid shots in the first ten rounds despite his unfruitful last surge in the last two sessions.
Choi, 22-1, 11 KOs, kept his title just once since his coronation, as he disposed of Chart Kiatpetch in 5 rounds in Korea on June 17.
Saman has been fighting busily since his forfeiture of the WBC title, winning all in Thailand. Were it held in his home turf under hot temperature and high humidity, he may have a good chance to win back his belt. But it gets cold in Korea in November, so Saman may have difficulty again making his weight. Even if successful in his weight-making, Saman will find a tough opposition in Choi, a faster combination puncher, especially in the champ’s home country. We may see the previously great champ Saman’s swan song.
WBC #11 ranked YUJI WATANABE will face his grudge rival SUNGHO YUH, a very durable puncher of Korea, to have his OPBF lightweight title at stake in Tokyo on October 2.
Watanabe, 25-4-1, 23 KOs, battled to a grueling draw with Yuh, 11-0-1, 5 KOs, in his attempt to win the vacant OPBF throne, but acquired it on a second round stoppage of Australian Stuart Patterson this year.
It’s very hard to predict a winner, but it will certainly become as furious a give-and-take war as their first encounter.
WBC #10 ranked Korean YONGIN CHO, 9-2, 5 KOs, will meet former champ SHIN YAMATO, a Japanese lefty speedster, 16-3-4, 4 KOs, with his OPBF super-bantam title at stake in Tokyo on October 7.
Cho captured the regional title as he scored an upset TKO at the end of the 8th round, as Yamato retired in his corner due to his bad gash. This fight was very problematic, since Cho dropped Yamato with an illegal shot after the bell to end the 7th round. Yamato should have been given a longer rest after the problematic 7th, but the fight went on with Yamato suffering considerable absorption of damage.
Akihiko Honda, Yamato’s manager, protested to the OPBF headquarters by presenting a videotape to ask for a direct rematch after the controversial affair. The OPBF finally sanctioned a rare direct rematch after reviewing it carefully.
On October 10, the middle day of a couple of world title bouts in Japan, the OPBF minimum champ HIROSHI NAKAJIMA will defend his title against WBA #8 ranked lefty SATORU ABE, 23-3-2, 10 KOs, in Tokyo.
Nakajima, a soft-punching but fast-moving speedster, 14-2, just 1 KO, acquired the vacant OPBF title by beating Filipino Carmelo Caceles here in June of the previous year. He kept it on a split but well-received decision over another Filipino Allan Llanita last December.
The champ lost to veteran campaigner Keitaro Hoshino this May 30, though his regional belt wasn’t at stake. Nakajima eagerly wish to raise his stock and reputation by beating the world-rated compatriot Abe, who previously fought for the vacant WBA interim 105-pound title only to be embalmed by Joma Gamboa in Nagoya, his home turf, last December. This card will be a competitive encounter of the speedster versus the busy and tricky southpaw.
On the semi-final of the WBA lightweight title bout between Hatakeyama and Sakamoto, fast-rising southpaw KAZUHIRO RYUKO, WBC’s #7 ranked 115-pounder, will fight Indonesian champ KID HAMZAH, 21-6-3, 7 KOs, for the vacant OPBF super-fly title at Yokohama Arena.
This regional title had been renounced by the current WBC champ Masamori Tokuyama prior to his title crack at Injoo Cho on August 27.
Ryuko, Japanese champ, has improved so remarkably as to acquire the vacant national title by dismantling Yoshiaki Matsukura via impressive 4th round stoppage in June of the previous year. He kept his national title twice against the same Yosuke Kaneishi, from Osaka, as they once fought to a technical draw, but Ryuko disposed of him in splendid fashion in the 6th round in the Carnival of Champions here on April 2.
Ryuko, 11-1-3, 3 KOs, was formerly an excellent amateur boxer prior to his entry into the paid ranks. Despite his low KO ratio, Ryuko has gained his power as shown in his latest triumphs over Matsukura and Kaneishi. Ryuko is very eager to get a world title shot either at the WBC champ Masamori Tokuyama and the WBA ruler Hideki Todaka. For the sake of his big dream, Ryuko has to overcome this opportunity to win the vacant OPBF throne.
For the Japanese boxing fraternity, it is a headache how to deal with the Japanese lightweight champ Rick Yoshimura, a US military worker long living in Japan, who registered the record-breaking 21 defenses of his national title this year.
Rick, WBA #4 ranked contender, was recently transferred to the Air Force base camp in Florida to become unable to keep defending his national title. If strictly according to the Japanese rules and regulations, the New Yorker will be obliged to automatically renounce his title, but Rick is such a great national champ who had registered the immortal record.
While we take time to solve Rick’s matter, our Commission has lately sanctioned a rare Japanese interim championship to be disputed by the top two contenders: Tadashi Yuba, 14-1-1, 8 KOs, and Junichi Ono, 19-2-2, 8 KOs.
This is a very interesting match-up. Yuba, an elongated southpaw, once drew with Rick Yoshimura after dropping him with a solid left last September. Ono, formerly world rated in the super-light class, has moved down to the 135-pound class after he lost his national belt to his perennial rival Hiroyuki Maeda last April. Ono is a more skillful boxer, while Yuba is a harder hitter, so an outcome will depend on which will take the pace in earlier rounds.
Nov. 3, Nagoya, OPBF flyweight title bout between Hiroshi Nakano and ex-champ Melvin Magramo
Nov. 3, Fukuoka, ex-Japanese feather champ Takashi Koshimoto vs. Filipino champ Baby Lorona Jr.
Nov. 4, Okayama, OPBF super-feather title bout between Tiger Ari and Kazuhiro Fujita
Dec. 2, Tokyo, ex-Japanese super-bantam champ Manabu Fukushima vs. ex-OPBF champ in the same category Reynante Jamili
Heavy: Toakipa Tasefa (New Zealand)
Cruiser: Vacant
Light heavy: Hisashi Teraji (Japan)
Super-middle: Guy Waters (Australia)
Middle: Kevin Palmer (Japan)
Super-welter: Kookyul Song (Korea)
Welter: Sukhyun Yun (Korea)
Super-light: Masakazu Satake (Japan)
Light: Yuji Watanabe (Japan)
Super-feather: Tiger Ari (Philippines)
Feather: Tony Wehbee (Australia)
Super-bantam: Yongin Cho (Korea)
Bantam: Jess Maca (Philippines)
Super-fly: Vacant
Fly: Hiroshi Nakano (Japan)
Light fly: Kohki Tanaka (Japan)
Minimum: Hiroshi Nakajima (Japan)