November 1, 2003
TOKYO, JAPAN-Fast-moving WBC #10 ranked Australian “King” Sam Soliman (21-7, 4 KOs), 159.5, easily kept his OPBF middleweight belt as he completely frustrated ex-Japanese champ Satoru Suzuki (20-5, 13 KOs), 159.75, with his tricky mobility all night, gave him a lesson and pounded out a lopsided decision over 12 hot frames on Saturday night in Tokyo, Japan.
Scored: referee David Chung (Korea) 119-108, judges Gus Mercurio (Australia) 119-107 and Masakazu Uchida (Japan) 119-109, all for the faster and more skillful Aussie. It became a very one-sided affair against people’s expectations. Soliman, making his first defense, had the taller Japanese much bewildered with his unorthodox movement from the start, occasionally scoring with quicker jabs and left-right combinations. The champ maintained his initiative from the outset to the end, actually sweeping all rounds. Suzuki sometimes landed a solid right at a time, but the busier Soliman retaliated with more effective combinations to the face, which became bruised and puffed as the contest progressed. The referee penalized a point for Soliman’s headbutt midway in the 9th round, but it was only his deduction out of this shutout game. Suzuki failed to catch the tremendously elusive target all the way, and realized that “King” Soliman was too much for him.
Ex-Japanese feather champ Eugenio “Yuji” Gomez (19-3, 18 KOs), 123, collected another KO victim by dispatching Thorncharoen Mahasapcondo (9-10, 1 KO), 123.5, Thai #3 feather, with a wicked body shot at 1:50 of the opening canto. Gomez, on his comeback trail after his unsuccessful attempt to regain his national belt from the current champ Dainoshin Kuma via first round demolition this summer, intends to move down to the 122-pound division.
Former national high school champ Takujii Matsuhashi (5-1, 5 KOs), 154, Japanese #3 super-welter, kept battering a durable trial horse named Kenichiro Shinmei (6-11-3, 3 KOs), 154, and finally dropped him on knees with a furious combo, when a towel was thrown in by the loser’s corner at 2:36 of the 6th session.
Promoter: Hachioji Nakaya Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(11-1-03)