June 28, 2004
June 28, 2004
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN-Hard-hitting Japanese challenger Katsushige Kawashima (26-3, 18 KOs) (right photo), 115, amazingly captured the WBC 115-pound belt as he displayed his finest opening attack, and dropped the defending champ Masamori Tokuyama (30-3-1, 8 KOs), 115, twice before US referee Jay Nady made a well-received stoppage at 1:47 of the first round on Monday night in Yokohama, Japan. Tokuyama, making his ninth defense since dethroning Korean Injoo Cho in 2000, was a prohibitive favorite as he previously outscored Kawashima by a close but unanimous decision in June of the previous year. Kawashima, piloted by ex-WBC and WBA 105-pound champ Hideyuki Ohashi, started fireworks from the start, throwing jabs and left-right combinations. The champ tried to feel out the challenger, but Kawashima let fly a vicious overhand right to the face, flooring him on all fours. Tokuyama raised himself to beat the count, but his legs looked a bit shaky to indicate his damage. Kawashima didn’t bother to attack the still dazed champ with a flurry of punches followed by a smashing right, which bounced his head off the canvas with a thud. The third man wisely made an immediate halt to award a stunning victory to Kawashima. The newly crowned champ jubilantly said, “I followed our fight plan which paid off well.”
WBC 105-pound champ Eagle Kyowa (13-0, 5 KOs), a Thailander living here in Tokyo with his Japanese wife of an ex-female boxer, 104.75, proved too strong and sharp for Japanese southpaw Satoshi Kogumazaka (20-6-3, 9 KOs), 104.75, dropping him with a solid one-two combination in the second to sweep all rounds before a technical decision (80-71 twice and 80-73) was taken in the champ’s favor due to the challenger’s bad gash at 2:24 of the eighth round. Kogumazaka, two years his senior at 27, bled so profusely from a cut on the left side of head caused by an accidental butt that the ringside physician advised the referee to halt the proceeding. It was quite a lopsided affair as Eagle kept on stalking him with positive attacks, piling up points steadily. Kogumazaka sustained a gash on the side-head in the sixth and another cut on the near place in the fatal eighth, each by an unintentional butt, to have his golden-dyed hair in crimson. Referee was Nobuaki Uratani (Japan).
Southpaw Masayuki Arinaga (17-3-1, 8 KOs), 115, wrested the Japanese national 115-pound belt by a split decision (95-94, 96-95 and 96-97) over WBC #16 ranked Masaki Kawabata (22-6-2, 12 KOs), 115, over ten. Ex-world champ Ohashi produced a couple of new champs this night.
Promoter: Hideyuki Ohashi’s Ohashi Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(6-28-04)