November 15, 2003
TOKYO, JAPAN-WBC #8 ranked Japanese 122-pound champ Yoshikane Nakajima (14-5-4, 3 KOs), 122, barely kept his national belt as he was obviously behind on points, but dropped WBC #5 Akihiro Kanai (19-2, 16 KOs), 122, with a stunning left-right combo and floored him again with a solid jab with the refereeing counting him out at 2:15 of the tenth and final round on Saturday night in Tokyo, Japan.
Kanai, from Osaka, proved faster, stronger and more skillful, steadily piling up points with accurate overhand rights and crisp left hooks. After the seventh, the official tallies were 69-64 and 69-66 twice for the aggressor. But the durable champ took the eighth, and surprisingly sent him to the deck on the seat of pants in the ninth. The tide apparently turned as Kanai became visibly slowing down probably due to his fast pace in earlier rounds. Nakajimafs left jab, in the fatal tenth, landed the face of the fading foe, who went down and barely regained his feet only to be counted out by the ref Shimakawa. The prefight favorite Kanai, who had previously beat the current WBO champ Cruz Carbajal on points in 2000, failed to win the OPBF belt via first round demolition by Korean Youngin Cho in the next year and experienced another failure to wrest the national title this night. Nakajima, who became the champ by upsetting world-rated Junichi Watanabe this year, was regarded as a game but mediocre battler, but defeated the world contenders in succession.
Following three were supporting 8-rounders. Busy-punching Kenichi Hashiura (18-5-1, 4 KOs), 136, battered slower and sluggish Kenji Torii (8-18-3, 2 KOs), 136.75, to halt him at 2:04 of the fourth round. Lanky puncher Osamu Nakane (9-2, 6 KOs), 129.5, effectively scored body shots to weaken Cobra Taiju Kawase (7-6-1, 4 KOs), 130, and chalked up a TKO win at 3:04 of the fifth session. Japanese #9 flyweight Atsushi Mando (12-5, 2 KOs), 112.5, managed by Fighting Harada, earned a unanimous duke (78-75, 79-75 and 80-74) over Akiyoshi Kobayashi (8-6-5, 3 KOs), 111.75, over eight.
Promoter: Teiken Promotions.
(11-15-03)