May 2, 2004
OSAKA, JAPAN-WBC #19 ranked OPBF 115-pound champ Waenpetch Chuwatana (13-4-1, 12 KOs), 114.75, Thailand, impressively kept his regional belt as he dropped ex-champ Eiji Kojima (9-3, 2 KOs), 115, three times and scored a shocking knockout at 2:53 of the second round on Sunday night in Osaka, Japan. Kojima had beaten the Thailander twice by a hairline split nod before he renounced his OPBF title in order to meet WBA ruler Alexander Munoz in an unsuccessful bid last year. Waenpetch, who had acquired a vacant belt by overpowering Japanfs Shin Ogata this year, landed a wicked right to the lanky southpaw Kojima and floored him early in the second. The shorter but sturdy Thailander went all out for a kill, sending him twice more to have Korean referee David Chung declare an automatic knockout.
Fast-rising hard-puncher Daigoro Yamamoto (8-2-1, 6 KOs), 143.5, battered Indonesian #4 superlight Jack Risman (9-4-2, 5 KOs), 142.75, all the way, winning a nearly shutout decision (100-90, 99-91 and 99-92) over ten. Yamamoto, a stablemate of WBC 115-pound champ Masamori Tokuyama, energetically outpunched the Indonesian who covered himself up and refused to go down until the end. Unranked Yasuyuki Kodama (9-4-3, 4 KOs), 111.5, amazingly decked OPBF #6 light-fly Eugene Gonzales (21-13-5, 5 KOs), 112, twice with busy combos and finished him at 1:42 of the third canto.
Promoter: Kanazawa Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(5-2-04)