## WBC #4 KOSHIMOTO RETAINS OPBF 126-POUND TITLE

May 11, 2002

TOKYO, JAPAN-WBC #4 ranked elongated southpaw Takashi Koshimoto (30-1-2, 14 KOs), 126(left), kept his OPBF feather belt as he kept counterpunching OPBF #2 Toshikage Kimura (25-4-4, 14 KOs), 126(right), and barely withstood his last retaliation to win a close but unanimous decision in 12 heats in Tokyo, Japan.

Scored: 116-115, 116-113 and 117-112, all in favor of Koshimoto.

It was a really crowd-pleasing fight. The 5f9h champ, making his second defense, kept his cool and cleverly displayed hit-and-run tactics. Ex-national ruler Kimura, who had disposed of ex-OPBF ruler Tony Wehbee in the first round last year, kept coming forward to occasionally score harder punches in combination, but the champ was elusive all the way.

Kimura, in the closing seconds of the final session, caught the champ with a flurry of punches and pinned him to the corner, almost toppling the champ with the bell coming to his rescue.

Koshimoto had suffered his sole defeat at the hand of Freddie Norwood via 9th round KO in a bid for the WBA 126-pound throne in 2000, and now hopes to move down to the 122-pound division and get his second world title shot in the near future.

### Undercard:

Japanese #6 super-fly Prosper Kohei Matsuura (21-3, 9 KOs), 115, finished Thailander Lingrom Poh Tawatchai (reportedly 9-1, 3 KOs), 115, with a body shot at 2:04 of the 4th. It looked a terrible mismatch, as their difference of physique was too great.

Unbeaten ex-amateur star Takuji Matsuhashi, 154.5, ran his unblemished mark to 3-0, 3 KOs by dropping Korean #7 Heewon Kim (4-4, 4 KOs), 154.75, at 1:31 of the third canto.

Promoter: Akihiko Hondafs Teiken Promotions.

Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.

(5-11-02)

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