April 14, 2003
OSAKA, JAPAN-WBC #5 ranked 154-pounder Akira Ohigashi (38-7-3, 26 KOs), 160, surprisingly hit the deck twice in the opening session, but fought back to finish Philippine #2 welter contender Cesar Yarte (5-3-1, 2 KOs), 156, at 2:45 of the 4th round in Osaka, Japan.
Yarte’s right hand exploded to deck the prohibitive favorite twice with Ohigashi barely saved by the bell. But the Japanese veteran finally caught the Filipino with an avenging right-left combo to have him down for the count.
Japanese #9 ranked superfly Tat Torres (13-6-3, 7 KOs), 118, was held to a majority draw by unheralded Hirokazu Yamazaki (8-10-4, 3 KOs), 118, over 8.
Promoter: Taiho Promotions.
(4-14-03)
April 14, 2003
TOKYO, JAPAN-Rugged puncher Toshiharu Kaneyama (15-3, 13 KOs), 153.25, kept his Japanese national super-welter belt as he landed a vicious right to the left optic of ex-welter champ Toshiharu Kayama (19-4-1, 11 KOs), 154, and battered the helpless loser en route to a well-received stoppage at 0:59 of the 5th session in Tokyo, Japan.
Kaneyama, a shaven skulled brawler, had been an interim champ to a legitimate ruler Joya Kawai, the OPBF top contender, who had been inactive due to his optical paralysis. This card was originally slated as a unification bout between the champs, but Kawai decided to renounce his belt to require more time for recovery. The OPBF #3 Kaneyama, now the full champ, kept smoking the taller opponent, who occasionally retaliated with sporadic overhand rights but was finally overpowered.
Japanese #3 welter Kazutaka Aihara (14-1-1, 6 KOs), 146.25, fought to a technical draw with #7 Sojiro Kato (12-4-2, 8 KOs), 147, because of the latter’s bad bleeding from a cut over the right eyebrow at 1:16 of the third round.
Ex-OPBF 154-pound champ Nobuhiro Ishida (8-4-1, 4 KOs), 159.5, scored a fine TKO win over #5 ranked middle Jo Asano (10-9-1, 4 KOs), 160, at 1:02 of the second round. The elongated Ishida previously failed to win back the OPBF belt, losing to Nader Hamden in Osaka in Osaka in the previous year.
Promoter: Misako Promotions.
(4-15-03)