April 8, 2003
TOKYO, JAPAN-Previously unbeaten bright prospect, Japanese #6 welter Takao Onda (10-1, 8 KOs), 147.25, suffered his first defeat as he bled profusely and took a bad beating to be stopped by unheralded Jun Kitagawa (10-4, 8 KOs), 147.25, at 1:52 of the 8th round in Tokyo, Japan.
It was a furious battle, as the underdog Kitagawa downed him in the second but Onda decked him with a solid left hook in the third. Onda sustained bad gashes over both eyebrows which were examined by the ring physician time and again. Onda made a desperate attack to finish the affair, but Kitagawa’s retaliation was so effective that he gave him a standing count near the ropes, when a towel came fluttering in to save the loser. Onda had previously won the best winner award in the annual Novice King touraments in 2001.
(Remarks: In Japan, when a towel is tossed during the referee’s counting, it is registered as a knockout, not a TKO, even if the third man has not yet completed his ten count.)
Ryuya Togo (8-4, 6 KOs), 129.5, chalked up a TKO win over Shuhei Shimoda (7-7-2, 3 KOs), 130, at 2:57 of the sixth round in a scheduled 8.
Promoter: Tokuhon Sinto Promotions.
(4-8-03)