June 23, 2002
NAGOYA, JAPAN-Unbeaten WBC #3 ranked Hiroshi Nakano (18-0, 10 KOs), 111.75, kept his OPBF flyweight title as he utilized his southpaw jabs and straight lefts to the belly, taking a split but well-received decision over Filipino Anthony Villamor (11-8, 4 KOs), 112, over 12 rounds in Nagoya, Japan.
Scored: referee Sarasas (Thailand) and Ito (Japan) 117-114 and 117-113 respectively for Nakano, and Garcia (Philippines) 115-114 for Villamor.
Nakano took the pace with busier combinations and had him at bay in the last session, so there was no way the Filipino judge inexplicably rendered his tally for Villamor.
Japanese #1 ranked 130-pounder Ryuhei Sugita (22-1-2, 18 KOs), 129.5, acquired the interim national super-feather belt by eking out a hairline but unanimous decision (96-95, 97-95 and 97-94) over #3 Tetsuya Shinozaki (14-10-7, 6 KOs), 129.5, over 10.
The current Japanese champ, WBC #2 ranked Kengo Nagashima didn’t renounce his belt despite his schedule to fight #1 Sirimongkol Singmanassak in Japan this August, so they fought in a bid for a vacant interim title.
Promoter: Kiyoshi Hatanaka’s Hatanaka Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for the Nakano vs. Villamor main event).
(6-23-02)