February 16, 2002
February 16, 2002
TOKYO, JAPAN-OPBF #2 and Japanese top feather contender Toshikage Kimura(right photo) (25-3-4, 14 KOs), 128, dug a vicious shot to the belly and dropped Korean #2 Kangil Cho (8-7, 5 KOs), 128, on all fours with a towel tossed in at 0:45 of the 6th round.
Ex-national champ Kimura lost his belt to a Puerto Rican residing in Japan, Eugenio Yuji Gomez, via 8th round TKO last March, but raised his stock by polishing off world-rated ex-OPBF champ Tony Wehbee in the opening canto in July last.
For Kimura, an upright stylist and good jabber, it was a tune-up bout prior to his mandatory OPBF shot against WBC #9 ranked lefty Takashi Koshimoto in Tokyo on May 11.
Fast-rising lightie Chikashi Inada(left photo), 135, ran his unbeaten mark to 8-0, 6 KOs by demolishing Korean #8 super-feather Taepoong Chang (3-4, 1 KO), 134.5, at 1:40 of the third session.
Inada, managed by influential impresario Akihiko Honda, fought twice in the US, but returned in Tokyo after the terroristsf attack last September. The elongated Inada, ex-high school champ, showed good jabs to dominate the first two rounds, and finished him with a solid overhand right.
Japanese #7 super-fly Prosper Matsuura (20-3, 8 KOs), previously fighting as Kohei Matsuura, 116.5, badly hit the deck in the first round, but came back to flatten Thailander Wanmeechok Ganenorasingh (8-6, 2 KOs), 116, at 1:43 of the third round.
Unbeaten Yukio Sekiguchi (5-0, 2 KOs), 122, floored Hiroshi Futatsubashi (8-7-3, 2 KOs), 122, in the second and made the referee intervene at 0:51 of the third canto in a scheduled 8.
Ex-amateur champ Takuji Matsuhashi (2-0, 2 KOs), 154, decked his second professional outing by outpowering Hiroaki Obata (5-5-3, 2 KOs), 154, into a demolition at 1:27 of the second session.
Promoter: Teiken Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for the doubleheader).
(2-16-02)