November 5, 2003
TOKYO, JAPAN-Fast-rising OPBF #5 ranked 130-pounder Keita Manabe, 133, extended his fine ledger to 16-1, 15 KOs when he decked game and durable Yoshihiko Shimoda (13-9, 8 KOs), 133, in the opening session, kept stalking him with solid combos and finally made him groggy to prompt the refereefs intervention at 2:37 of the eighth round in a scheduled tenner on Wednesday night in Tokyo, Japan.
Manabe had entered the OPBFfs top ten thanks to his upset KO win over formidable Thai champ Muanghalek Kiatwichien last August, and collected another victim in Shimoda (who dropped a highly controversial split duke by ex-OPBF champ Panther Yanagida to raise his stock last March). The 24-year-old Japanese kept battering the tough guy despite his resilience, and accelerated his attack to finally halt him. Manabe, however, needs more sophistication on his defensive skills.
Promoter: Ishikawa Promotions.
(11-5-03)