July 19, 2004
TOKYO, JAPAN-Elongated lanky Russian, unbeaten WBC #24 ranked Sasha Bakhtine (11-0, 5 KOs), 117.5, easily kept his Japanese bantam belt, as he proved too sharp and ringwise for ex-Olympian and ex-two time Japanese champ Setsuo Segawa (21-5, 12 KOs), 118, outsmarting and outpunching him so completely that he took a shutout verdict (100-89, 100-91 and 100-92) over ten rounds on Monday night in Tokyo, Japan.
Sasha kept jabbing the shorter ex-champ with precision, and landed accurate overhand rights and left hooks to steadily pile up a point in every session. Segawa, formerly Japanese 118-pound and 122-pound ruler, attempted to come close to the much taller champ to no avail only to be counterpunched with jabs and right crosses. The Russian speedster had his foe’s face badly swollen with his absorption of punishment, and had him at bay with sharp combos in the seventh.
Japanese #7 welter Takejiro Kato (16-4-2, 9 KOs), 139.75, caught up with Shota Haruyama (7-8, 4 KOs), 140, with so effective rallies that the ref intervened at 1:15 of the third round in a scheduled eight. Unbeaten prospect Koseki Nakama (4-0, 2 KOs), 128.5, halted Thailander Runktawan Sor Voraphin (reportedly 10-6, 2 KOs), 125.75, at 1:17 of the fifth canto. Koseki is the son of his manager/trainer Shigeru Nakama who handles world-rated 122-pounder Shigeru Nakazato. Also unbeaten simon pure Gooh Onaga (4-0, 4 KOs), 113.5, a stablemate of Nakama, floored mediocre Thailander Sakanrong Fanprasert (reportedly 7-7, no KO), 112, twice en route to a TKO win at 1:30 of the fifth stanza in the first eight.
Promoter: Kyoei Promotions.
(7-19-04)