January 15, 2001
TOKYO, JAPAN-Unbeaten Japan-based US military worker Kevin Palmer(right photo), 159 1/4, barely kept his Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) middleweight title as he withstood incessant aggression of Japanese southpaw Seiji Takechi, 159, OPBF interim super-welter boss, and responded with accurate uppercuts to win a close but unanimous decision over 12.
Scored: referee Ukirid Sarasas (Thailand) 117-116, judges Ken Morita (Japan) and Kazunobu Asao (Japan) 117-115 and 118-115 respectively, all for Palmer, 23-0-1, 14 KOs. Takechi, a game warrior, dropped to 9-3-2, 2 KOs.
It was our surprise that Takechi, the underrated Japanese, fought so well as to continually befuddle the prohibitive favorite. Takechi kept boring in to land southpaw lefts to the midsection all night. Palmer attempted to counter the crouching stylist with solid uppercuts, which sometimes caught the willing mixer with precision. But Takechi did not stop coming forward, so they often grabbed each other to make it a lousy fight.
Palmer, who underwent lumbago in Hawaii last year, returned to action and thus kept his OPBF belt for the 5th time since he acquired it by beating Korean Jungho Kim on points in September, 1997.
Unbeaten prospect Keita Manabe, 137 1/4, ran his unblemished mark to 8-0, 8 KOs when he kept stalking previously world-rated Downmai Sithkodom, 137 3/4, and finally stopped him at 1:03 of the 7th canto in a semi-final 10.
Manabe, even unranked by the JBC, was regarded as unmatched against the more experienced Thailander, who was once rated highly by the WBC until he lost to Lovemore Ndou in Australia in August, 1999.
Co-promoters: Kaneko and Kyoei Promotions.
(1-15-2001)