TOKYO, JAPAN-WBC bantam champ Veeraphol Nakhornluang-Promotion (41-1-2, 29 KOs) (right picture), 118, Thailand, kept his belt as he fought again to
a split draw with top contender Toshiaki Nishioka (23-3-3, 14 KOs), 117.5, Japan, over twelve heats on Saturday night in Tokyo,
Japan.
The official tallies were as follows: Mark Green (England) 116-112 for Veeraphol, Duane Ford (US) 114-113 for Nishioka, and Herbert Minn (US) 115-115. Referee was Guadalupe Garcia from Mexico.
The Japanese southpaw, 27, made a good start as he positively attacked the nervous champ with solid left crosses in the opening session. The 34-year-old Thailander, making his eleventh defense, was penalized a point because of often having hit low in the fourth. The champ, however, scored with short rights to the taller lefty and had the upper hand in later rounds. They had battled to a split draw in their last encounter here in 2001, so their fourth bout may materialize in the near future.
WBA 115-pound champ Alexander Munoz (24-0, 23 KOs), 115, retained his belt as he went the distance for the first time and pounded out a nearly lopsided decision over Japanese puzzling lefty Hidenobu Honda (26-3, 14 KOs), 115, over twelve.
Scored: Raul Caiz Sr. (US) 116-112, Armando Garcia (US) 118-110, and Ove Ovessen (Denmark) 119-109, all for the Venezuelan KO artist. Referee was John Coyle of England.
Munos, 24, kept punching the artful dodger all night, though missing almost all powerful shots to the elusive target. Honda, 28, was all out in averting his big punches and failed to attack the champ enough to win points. It wasn’t an easy fight for Munoz, but he was obviously a winner on points due to his continual aggressiveness.
Japanese ex-WBA 115-pound champ Hideki Todaka (21-3-1, 10 KOs), 117.5, acquired the WBA interim bantam belt as he kept moving and occasionally mixed up with hard-punching Venezuelan Leo Gamez (34-10-1, 25 KOs), 117.25, and withstood his last surge, winning a split but well-received decision over 12 grueling rounds.
Todaka, 30, took the initiative with faster combinations in the first half. But the 40-year-old veteran Gamez, having won four WBA titles in as many different classes, surprisingly turned loose and scored heavy shots to shake up the Japanese effectively in the second half. It was a furious give-and-take affair.
Scored: Pinit Prayadsab (Thailand) 115-113 and Moohong Moon (Korea) 116-114, both for Todaka, and Derek Milham (Australia) 115-113 for Gamez. Referee was Armando Garcia of the US.
WBC #7 ranked OPBF 140-pound champ Masakazu Satake (19-2-4, 12 KOs), 140.75, scored a beautiful stoppage of previously unbeaten Venezuelan national champ Richard Reyna (13-1, 12 KOs), 140.25, with a single southpaw right hook at 2:44 of the second round. Reyna was such a furious aggressor in the opening session that people thought he would finish the affair soon. But Satake, a fast footworker, utilized his speed and exploded a well-timed right shot to the button to put him prone on the deck.
WBC #7 ranked lightweight Kengo Nagashima (25-2-1, 14 KOs), 135, eked out a close but unanimous decision (98-95, 98-96 and 97-95) over ex-Japanese national champ Rick Roberts Yoshimura (38-7-2, 20 KOs), 134.75, over ten.
Promoter: Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions.
(10-4-03)