The “Carnival of Champions” originated from the three-day event at the Pelican Athletic Club in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1892. On September 5, Jack McAuliffe retained his world lightweight title by a 15th round knockout of Billy Myer. George Dixon, on the next day, kept his featherweight belt via 8th round KO of Jack Skelly. It was on the last day of the Carnival of Champions, September 7, that John L. Sullivan forfeited his heavyweight title to a fast-moving and slick-punching James Corbett by an upset 21st round knockout.
The first Carnival of Champions in Asia took place at Rizal Coliseum, Manila, Philippines, in 1955. It was held in commemoration of the foundation of the Oriental Boxing Federation (OBF) on December 27, 1954, when the three countries of Japan, Thailand and the Philippines formed the regional organization after the World War II. On the first day, December 3, Japanese champ Keiichi Komoro was awarded a win on disqualification over Thai champ Sanon ETB to acquire the Oriental bantam belt. In the main event, Oriental lightweight champ Jiro Sawada, Japan, lost his regional title to Filipino Leo Alonzo on a 4th round TKO. On the second and last day, December 7, Japanese middle champ Hachiro Tatsumi scored a lopsided decision over Thai boss Sema Klasuk to gain the vacant Oriental 160-pound title. On the same card, Orient feather champ Shigeji Kaneko battered Filipino champ Emil Tinde to keep his title by a onesided decision, and Filipino Danny Kid defeated Thailander Kunoi Vitichai by a 12-round decision to retain his Orient 112-pound title. For your reference, Korea joined the OBF in 1955, and it was in 1977 that the OBF became newly named the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) with the affiliation of Australia, New Zealand, Guam, Fiji, etc.
The annual 23rd Carnival of Champions is now processing in Japan. It mandates our national champions to fight the leading available contenders, that is, the strongest among the challengers in the divisions. This reporter introduce the matchups of all the categories.
The Japanese champ is MAKOTO SUZUKI, WBC #12 ranked contender, who was originally scheduled to defend his national belt against #2 ranked HIROYUKI ABE, WBC #22 105-pounder, in Tokyo on February 11. Suzuki, however, suffered a bad neck injury while training in Los Angeles, so Abe, 10-5-1, 3 KOs, will fight a substitute HIROSHI KASAMATSU, 9-3-2, 1 KO, for an interim Japanese minimum title that day. Upon his recovery, Suzuki, 13-6-2, 8 KOs, will defend his title against the Abe-Kasamatsu winner probably this June.
Hard-punching but unsteady Japanese champ KEISUKE YOKOYAMA, 17-8-2, 9 KOs, will put his title on the line against top ranked JUN KITANO, 11-1-1, 2 KOs, one of Kitano twins, in Tokyo on March 16. The WBC #11 ranked Yokoyama unexpectedly lost a close but unanimous verdict to Shingo Yamaguchi last December, though his national belt wasn’t at stake. Yamaguchi went to decide to have an ambitious shot at the WBC 108-pound throne, on behalf of Yokoyama, in Chiba on February 23 thanks to this upset triumph. Yokoyama, a physically excellent 108-pounder with his good height and power-punching, is such an unstable mittman, who sometimes displays his strength but occasionally reveals his lack of finesse and smoothness. Yokoyama will face the upcoming Kitano, so we cannot expect what part of Yokoyama will be shown in this mandatory defense, though he is generally favored to overpower the less experienced opponent.
WBC #8 ranked contender TRASH NAKANUMA, 20-2, 8 KOs, will have a mandatory shot, on April 20, at the winner of WBC #10 ranked Japanese champ TAKEFUMI SAKATA, 16-0-1, 7 KOs, against #4 ranked MIZUO NAKADA on January 21. This year the Japan Pro-Boxing Associaition (JPBA) decided that a world-rated boxer should be given a priority to challenge a Japanese national champ rather than the JBC’s top ranked contender. Therefore, Nakanuma has had a right to have a mandatory crack at the national diadem. Most probably Sakata will successfully keep his title by beating Nakada, and then face Nakanuma who had entered the world top ten due to his upset triumph over then world rated Panieng Okuda, an imported Thailander who is a younger brother of ex-WBC super-fly champ Payao Poontharat, which was Panieng’s very first setback. Nakanuma is such a tough and aggressive battler as to befuddle any opponent with his busy punching. Sakata is also known by his fast hand, great durability and stamina, as shown in his last three title engagements in which he beat veteran Masaki Kawabata to acquire the vacant belt, drew with unbeaten and hard-punching Daisuke Naito and stopped more experienced Shiro Yahiro (who retired afterward). A good and hot war between Sakata and Nakanuma will be expected without doubt.
On April 20, in Tokyo, WBC #9 ranked national champ SHINGO SASAKI, 16-2-1, 12 KOs, will finally cope with WBA #9 ranked KATSUSHIGE KAWASHIMA, 20-2, 14 KOs, with his title at stake. This may be one of the best cards in this year’s Carnival of Champions, as both are busy and hard-hitting crowd-pleaser.
Sasaki convincingly dethroned world-rated Takuya Kiya to be ranked by the WBC, while Kawashima swept the last three sessions and decked an upset decision over ex-WBA 115-pound champ Yokthai Sith-Oar on August 27 last.
Kawashima, handled by ex-WBA and WBC 105-pound champ Hideyuki Ohashi, boasts of more powerful punching, but the champ Sasaki, a civil servant, is a non-stop puncher as he never stops punching when he catches his opponent. Whichever may win, it will end with either on the deck. We are looking forward to seeing this undoubtedly action-packed thriller.
Unbeaten NOBUAKI NAKA, WBC #14 and OPBF top contender, 15-0, 10 KOs, will meet RYUICHI MINORIYAMA, 9-3-1, 4 KOs, in Osaka on February 25.
Naka is a buzzsaw puncher who stunned the crowd in Tokyo in his first appearance here when he annihilated Eiichi Ogata via stunning second round stoppage to acquire the vacant national bantam belt on March 4, 2000. Naka then scored 10 KO wins in a row. He kept defending his belt against such durable and tough opponents as Taiji Okamoto (W10), Shigeru Nakazato (W10), Hisataka Ikemori (W10) and Ikemori (TW7), which means he has not registered even a single KO victory since he became the champ.
Naka last year went to Mexico to serve as sparring partner of Marco Antonio Barrera and learned some important lessons there especially about how to defend himself more properly. His power-punching is still highly evaluated, so if he refines his defensive skill, he will become a better boxer-puncher.
Minoriyama is the son of his promoter/manager/trainer Shinnosuke, formerly a hard-hitting flyweight contender. Though he became a national high-school champ and was expected highly for his future entry into the paid ranks, the strict father made him give up boxing for some three years. He abruptly returned to the gym and eventually turned professional in November, 1999. Minoriyama, based on his amateur experience, won the national Shinjin-o (Novice King) tournament to be ranked 10th by the Japanese Commission.
But his father forced him to hone his fists and took him to Cebu, Philippines, where he tasted his first setback to Jaime Barcelona on March 31 of the previous year. His next opponent was the then OPBF top ranked Thai champ Yodsingh Chuwatana, whom Minoriyama blasted out just 48 seconds on June 24. Then, he went to challenge the world rated OPBF champ Jess Maca on September 23, when Ryuichi revealed his less experience and lost a unanimous decision. Then, Ryuichi faced WBC-rated Russian import Knight Alexander, whose amateur mark was so remarkable as 124-4, 80 stoppages, whom he dropped in the opening canto but lost a unanimous decision on December 17.
Naka may be a too strong champ for Ryuichi Minoriyama, who, however, became obviously strong physically and mentally through his hard road compelled by his father. Ryuichi, a good footworker with decent punching, will have a possibility of outboxing Naka in the earlier rounds, so his problem will be whether he will be able to keep outmaneuvering the hard-hitting Naka until the end or Naka will withstand Minoriyama’s fast left-right combo and catch him within the distance. This is also an interesting matchup despite their difference of credentials, and this reporter imagine a possibility of upset.
On March 2, in Tokyo, WBC #13 ranked national champ JUNICHI WATANABE, 24-3, 19 KOs, will face an unbeaten ex-Asian Games bronze medalist, WBC #15 NORIHISA TOMIMOTO, 7-0-1, 3 KOs, in a sensational card. It is an encounter of southpaws: the hard-punching champ and the stylish challenger. Watanabe dethroned then world-rated Setsuo Segawa by showing a convincing performance on January 30 of the previous year, and impressed the crowd with his dynamic way of fighting in defending his title against Nobuhisa Doi (KO3) and Tomoyuki Kusama (W10). Tomimoto entered the WBC’s top 30 by whipping WBC international champ Ricky Gayamo en route to a 7th round KO in a non-title go on February 14 last. Watanabe is favored to overpower the lanky speedster, who, however, has a height advantage with his superior defensive skill.
Upcoming hard-punching champ EIICHI SUGAMA, 22-2, 19 KOs, will risk his feather belt against #2 ranked HARUHIKO OKUDA, 21-2, 16 KOs, on the undercard of the WBA 115-pound title competition between Celes Kobayashi and top contender Alexander Munoz in Tokyo on March 9. Sugama and Okuda are both of Osaka area, but they will square off before the crowd in Tokyo. Sugama sensationally captured the fast-rising KO artist Eugenio Yuji Gomez, a Puerto Rican residing here with his Japanese wife, dropping him time and again to finally finish in 6 gruelling rounds on September 1 last. Okuda previously failed to win the national throne despite dropping the then champ Toshikage Kimura via 5th round come-from-behind TKO in 2000, but kept winning 4 bouts since. Both are hard-hitters with Sugama more powerful and Okuda more skillful. It is a long-anticipated matchup.
WBC #2 ranked KENGO NAGASHIMA, 21-1-1, 12 KOs, made a rare crack at a national title, despite his high international rating, and wrested it by defeating WBA #7 ranked KINJI AMANO, 19-6-3, 9 KOs, by a unanimous decision over 10 heats in Tokyo on January 19. It was a highly technical affair that entertained the sellout crowd at the Korakuen Hall, which is the arena that the most boxing cards take place in the world.
Newly crowned southpaw champ NORIO KIMURA, 17-4-2, 5 KOs, will engage in his first defense against top ranked TAKEHIRO SHIMADA, 10-3, 7 KOs, on the undercard of the WBA super-fly title go in Tokyo on March 9. Kimura acquired the vacant national belt by dropping formerly world-rated Junichi Ono to win a unanimous nod on December 8. Shimada previously failed to win the title, twice losing to the then defending titlist Rick Yoshimura in 1999 and 2000, and keeps winning since.
Highly talented ex-national lightweight champ TADASHI YUBA, 17-1-2, 10 KOs, outgrew his division and will fight for the vacant 140-pound belt against hard-punching KIYOSHI ADACHI, 20-5-1, 14 KOs, on the undercard of the WBC super-fly title bout of Masamori Tokuyama and Kazuhiro Ryuko in Yokohama on March 23. Yuba, a very tall southpaw, almost wrested the national 135-pound title by amazingly dropping a formidable world-rated champ Rick Yoshimura en route to a split draw in September, 1999, which undoubtedly raised his stock greatly. Yuba acquired the same belt, vacated by Yoshimura after 22 consecutive defenses, by beating Junichi Ono on a 6th round technical decision in October, 2000. His relinquishment of the 135-pound title after two defenses made sense because he was obviously beyond the lightweight frame and had a serious weight problem. Yuba is greatly favored to win his second national title by defeating the game but suspect-chinned battler from Osaka.
Rugged fighter TERUO NAGASE, 20-5-1, 12 KOs, will enter his mandatory defense with top ranked YOSHINORI TAKENAKA, 17-3, 15 KOs, in Tokyo on February 26. Nagase, a stocky puncher, dethroned Yoshio Nakano by a unanimous nod on March 19 of the previous year, and kept it once against Motoki Sasaki in a very tough bout on October 2. Nagase, with his superior experience against name oppositions than Takenaka, will have to show his vaunted power to cope with his challenger from Amagasaki City with a high KO percentage.
Persistent lefty infighter JOYA KAWAI, 14-3, 4 KOs, will face top ranked EIJI SHIDA, 11-2-2, 6 KOs, in Tokyo on April 8. Kawai kept his title by whipping ex-national welter boss Toshiharu Kayama by showing his trade-mark late surgery this January 14. Kawai is a more experienced southpaw, whose infighting always befuddles his opponent and also displays his superior stamina in later rounds. Kawai is expected to make another successful defense against the less experienced rival.
On March 24, in Hachioji City, WBC #29 ranked defending champ SATORU SUZUKI, 15-2, 10 KOs, will cope with top ranked TOSHIYUKI INAZAWA, 8-0, 4 KOs, an ex-baseball player, with his national title at stake. Suzuki surprisingly dethroned Naotaka Hozumi, a heavy favorite, via unexpected 8th round TKO on August 1, 2000. Ironically, exactly a year late, on August 1 of the previous year, Hozumi also registered an upset to capture the OPBF 160-pound throne by a 9th round KO over previously unbeaten WBC-rated Kevin Palmer in Tokyo. Suzuki has improved so vastly as to defend his title on five occasions with four within the distance. In his last defense, on December 1, Suzuki scored a one-punch 5th-round stoppage over Hiroyuki Yoshino who attempted to win his third national title in different categories. Suzuki is favored to beat Inazawa, though the challenger is known for good hand speed as he had previously displayed in a baseball ground.