August 24, 2001
TOKYO, JAPAN-The official weigh-in of tomorrow's WBA minimumweight title bout has been over. The defending champ Chana Porpaoin, Thailand, tipped the beam at the class limit, 105 pounds, while unbeaten Japanese Yutaka Niida scaled in at 103.5.
The stock of the 22-year-old Niida, 13-0-3, 7 KOs, abruptly raised after their public workouts. The 35-year-old veteran, 44-1-2, 16 KOs, didn't look sharp in the public sparring.
Niida has been cultivated by his manager/trainer Mitsunori Seki, formerly world top feather contender, who failed to win the world throne on five occasions although he was historically one of the best boxers ever produced in Asia. Niida is called genius by the Japanese boxing fraternity, but he is obviously inferior to the veteran champ in terms of ring experience. Niida, a tremendous hard-puncher, stunned the crowd with his very impressive 9th-round demolition of world-rated Satoru Suzuki to annex the national title last January. But he disappointed our aficionados in his tough defense with top contender Daisuke Iida, having been dropped twice in the opening canto only to barely keep his newly-acquired national title on a split draw this May.
Chana is an aging veteran who had registered 8 defenses in his first reign for two years and ten months since February, 1993, when he dethroned Hideyuki Ohashi on an upset decision here in Tokyo. He forfeited the WBA title on a unanimous nod to Nicaraguan Rosendo Alvarez in December, 1995. It's his first and last setback in his career. Since then, he fought 11 times, winning 9 and drawing twice.
The title bout will take place at Pacifico Yokohama at 4:20 pm. The winner is supposed to meet ex-champ Joma Gamboa, Philippines, in his next defense.