August 3, 2003
TOKYO, JAPAN-Akihiko Honda, the most influential promoter in Japan, announced a star-studded tripleheader to be held at the Ryogoku Sumo Arena in Tokyo on October 4. WBC bantam champ Veeraphol Nahkornluang-Promotion, 40-1-1, 29 KOs, Thailand, will risk his belt against perennial top contender Toshiaki Nishioka, 23-3-2, 14 KOs, Hondafs protege, over 12. It will be their rubber match, as Nishioka lost a close but unanimous nod in their first encounter in 2000 and battled to a grueling draw in 2001. Nishikoka, a 27-year-old hard-hitting southpaw, is expected to dethrone the long-reigning Veeraphol, 34, this time.
WBA 115-pound champ Alexander Munoz, 23-0, 23 KOs, Venezuela, will put his title on the line against Japanese lefty speedster Hidenobu Honda, 26-2, 14 KOs, over 12. Munoz captured the belt by demolishing defending champ Celes Kobayashi in 8 furious rounds and flattened ex-OPBF champ Eiji Kojima in two sessions, both here in the previous year. It might be a problem whether Honda, a skillful southpaw, will be able to avert the KO artistfs vaunted attack.
Ex-WBA bantam champs, Venezuelan veteran Leo Gamez, 34-9-1, 26 KOs, and Hideaki Todaka, 20-3-1, 9 KOs, Japan, will fight for the interim WBA 118-pound belt in their grudge fight. Since the WBA champ Johnny Bredahl, Denmark, has been inactive since last November, the WBA sanctioned this elimination bout to decide the interim champ.
Sensational undercard is as follows: WBC #6 ranked ex-OPBF champ Kengo Nagashima, 24-2-1, 14 KOs, will take on ex-Japanese national lightweight champ Rick Roberts Yoshimura, 38-4-2, 20 KOs, over 10. WBC #7 ranked OPBF 140-pound champ Masakazu Satake, 17-2-4, 10 KOs, will face unbeaten Venezuelan ruler Richard Reyna, 13-0, 12 KOs, over 10.
The promoter Honda declared that it would be the most important day for the Japanese boxing fraternity. Sure it will be.
(8-3-03)