## CELES KOBAYASHI RISKS WBA 115-POUND TITLE AGAINST MUNOZ, 21-0, 21 KOs, TOMORROW

March 8, 2002

TOKYO, JAPAN-Lefty Japanese Celes Shoji Kobayashi (24-4-3, 14 KOs) will risk his WBA 115-pound belt against top-ranked Venezuelan KO artist Alexander Munoz (21-0, 21 KOs) at Budokan (Martial Arts Hall) in Tokyo, Japan, tomorrow.

Each tipped the beam at 115, the class limit. Munozfs stock tremendously raised here after his excellent display of speed, power, skill and balance at a public workout. His only untested factors are stamina and durability, which the southpaw champ boasts of.

Kobayashi, 29 and 6 years his senior, said, gI have superior experience in world title bouts. I will withstand his attack as much as possible and retaliate as he runs out of gas to defend my title.h

Munoz predicted, gI will knock him out within 8 rounds.h

Officials: referee Stanley Christodoulou (South Africa); judges guy Jutras (Canada), Derek Milham (Australia) and Jose Laurino (Urguary). The WBA supervisor is Renzo Bagnariol (Nicaragua).

Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions, Inc. presents a quadruple title bout, and other title goes are as follows:

The OPBF 140-pound champ Masakazu Satake (14-2-4, 8 KOs) will put his regional belt on the line against world-rated lightie Rick Yoshimura Roberts (38-5-2, 20 KOs) over 12 rounds. They fight at the 138-pound catchweight, and Satake scaled in at 138 and Rick 137.5. The fast-handed lefty Satake, 24 and making his 6th defense, is favored to outspeed the 37-year-old veteran, who battled the then WBA light boss Takanori Hatakeyama to a hard-fought draw in February of the previous year. The New Yorker Rick, who had defended his Japanese 135-pound title 22 times, has been training at Roy Jonesf Sqaure Ring gym since he was moved from Japan to Florida due to the US military order.

Upcoming OPBF top ranked Japanese feather champ Eiichi Sugama (22-2, 19 KOs), 125, will defend his belt against slick-punching Haruhiko Okuda (21-2, 16 KOs) over 10.

Lefty national light champ Norio Kimura (17-4-2, 5 KOs) will face top-ranked Takehiro Shimada (10-6, 7 KOs) over 10.

It seems difficult to predict the winner in each competitive fight.

Back to Oriental Boxing

Go to Top