January 21, 2004
TOKYO, JAPAN-Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions, Inc. announced today (Wednesday) that he would stage a couple of world title bouts at the Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, on March 6.
WBC 122-pound champ Oscar Larios (51-3-1, 36 KOs), Mexico, will defend his belt against hard-punching Japanese Shigeru Nakazato (24-6, 18 KOs) in a grudge fight. Also, WBC bantam ruler Veeraphol Nakhornluang-Promotion (41-1-2, 29 KOs), Thailand, will again face the top contender Toshiaki Nishioka (23-3-3, 14 KOs) in their fourth encounter. The doubleheader will be supported by two competitive bouts. WBC #7 ranked OPBF 140-pound champ Masakazu Satake (19-2-4, 12 KOs) will face ex-WBC lightweight champ Cesar Bazan (41-6-1, 29 KOs) over ten. WBC #5 ranked Japanese 122-pound champ Yoshikane Nakajima (14-5-4, 4 KOs) will put his national belt on the line against WBC #17 ranked hard-puncher Kozo Ishii (31-4, 21 KOs) over ten.
Honda, the most influential promoter here, proudly says that the four sensational competitions will attract Japanese fight fans without doubt.
Larios, making his sixth defense, welcomes his return to Japan to face his grudge rival Nakazato, since he once defeated him here last April but suffered a broken jaw caused by the Japanese puncherfs vicious left hook in the ninth round. The fighting champ Larios kept his WBC throne twice more after his first encounter with Nakazato, stopping Kozo Ishii in two lopsided rounds and top ranked Napapol Kiattisakchocchoi in ten hard-fought sessions.
Veeraphol, eight years his senior at 35, previously fought the Japanese lefty three times, winning on points in 2000 and battling to a draw twice in 2001 and 2003. The formidable Thai champ, making his twelfth defense, showed his ringcraft and experience in coping with the hard-hitting Japanese to have barely kept his belt. They will show a grueling battle again.
(1-21-04)