October 31, 2003
TOKYO, JAPAN-Globe-trotting Australian gKingh Sam Soliman (20-7, 4 KOs) will put his newly acquired OPBF middleweight belt on the line against formerly WBA #10 ranked ex-Japanese national champ Satoru Suzuki (20-4, 13 KOs) at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, tomorrow.
The weigh-in was held at the Exhibition Hall of the fight venue this afternoon. Soliman tipped the beam at 159.75, while Suzuki 159.5. Both looked in superb shape, which make the press people expect a good and competitive fight. Soliman, however, is a prefight favorite due to his superior experience, having fought in the US, England, Canada and Japan. The busy-punching Aussie captured the OPBF belt by lopsidedly battering Tokutaro Toyozumi in Kumamoto City last September. Having fought such name opponents as Anthony Mundine, Glenn Kelly, Howard Eastman, etc., Soliman has polished his energetic non-stop punching style. He recently defeated previously unbeaten compatriot Nader Hamdan, then highly rated by the WBC, to win the IBF Pan Pacific 160-pound belt in Sydney last June. Thanks to this important victory and his seizure of the OPBF belt, Soliman is currently ranked #10 by the WBC.
Suzuki, a Japanese six-footer, has a physical advantage over the defending champ. Suzuki had been planned to have an ambitious shot at the WBA middle belt against William Joppy in a triple world title promotion by Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions on October 4, but he, making his 10th defense, unexpectedly lost an upset decision to Yoshihiro Araki and forfeited his national belt here last July. The bitter setback cost a world title shot. Suzuki wrested the national title by scoring an upset 8th round TKO over Naotaka Hozumi (who eventually had a shot at Joppy only to be annihilated in 10 lopsided rounds a year ago) in 2000, and kept it nine times with six inside the distance. Suzuki, if in good shape, is a good jabber and good finisher with solid an overhand right. But his performance has been sometimes fluctuating dependent on his physical and mental condition.
Suzuki welcomes this title crack and is very much willing to dethrone Soliman, but the Aussie showed his fast and tricky mobility as well as his incredibly abundant punching during his final workout in Tokyo. It must be a highly expected encounter of the well-conditioned boxers with the OPBF title at stake.