March 10, 2001
TOKYO, JAPAN-37-year-old WBA super-fly champ Leo Gamez, Venezuela, has passed the official weigh-in at 113.75 lbs., while Japanese Celes Kobayashi, 27, scaled in at the 115-pound class limit.
The 5-feet little giant Gamez, 33-7-1, 25 KOs, is a prefight favorite, but Kobayashi, 22-4-3, 13 KOs, is a formidable opponent thanks to his tremendous durability and stamina, which he had shown in his crack at the WBC fly belt against Filipino Malcolm Tunacao despite a hard-fought split draw here last August.
Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions, Inc. presents four title bouts at 17,000-seated Yokohama Arena, Yokohama City, tomorrow.
WBC #7 ranked OPBF light fly champ Koki Tanaka, 14-1-3, 7 KOs, gives a return to Korean Pilkoo Kang, 6-5, 3 KOs, following their close affair last November. Tanaka tipped the beam at 107.25, and Kang 108.
WBC #28 ranked Japanese feather champ Toshikage Kimura, 22-2-4, 11 KOs, risks his national belt against sensational Japan-based Puerto Rican KO artist Eugenio “Yuji” Gomez, 12-0, 11 KOs including 9 within the first round, in the most highly anticipated encounter of the card. Kimura weighed in at 126, and Gomez 124.5.
Japanese middle champ Satoru Suzuki, 11-3, 7 KOs, will put his title on the line against #1 contender Minoru Horiuchi, 22-6, 19 KOs. Suzuki and Horiuchi both 160.
WBC #6 bantam Toshiaki Nishioka, 21-3-1, 12 KOs, meets Mexican Samuel Ventura, reportedly ex-Hispanic champ, 22-9, 14 KOs. Both scaled in at 120.
(3-10-01)