October 17, 2004
KANAZAWA, JAPAN-WBC #6 ranked Yasuo Kunimi (16-5-4, 6 KOs), 121.5, barely kept his OPBF 122-pound belt as he was awarded a split technical decision over previously unbeaten Korean champ Heungsik Lim (5-1, 1 KO), 121.5, at 1:28 of the fifth round on Sunday in Kanazawa, Japan.
Lim, whose amateur mark was 99-16, 23 stoppages, showed a fine opening attack and won the first session. The taller champ Kunimi, who had dethroned Filipino lefty Jimrex Jaca in his previous bout, retaliated with solid body shots in the second and third cantos. An accidental butt opened such a nasty cut over the champ’s left eyebrow that the ref Bruce McTavish declared a halt to take a technical decision upon the ring physician’s advice. The official tallies were as follows: McTavish (Philippines) 48-47 and Takaomi Ito (Japan) 49-47, both for Kunimi, but Kwangwoo Lee (Korea) 49-47 for Lim.
Ex-OPBF ruler Jimrex Jaca (22-1, 9 KOs), 124.5, made Japanese Isamu Sakashita (18-6, 16 KOs), 125.5, a bloody mess to be awarded a technical nod (49-48, 48-47 and 48-48) at 1:56 of the fifth round in a scheduled ten.
Promoter: Kashimi Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(10-17-04)
October 16, 2004
TOKYO, JAPAN-WBA #6/WBC #9 Japanese 130-pound champ Nobuhito Honmo (25-4-2, 5 KOs), 129.5, retained his national belt by winning a unanimous decision (98-93 twice and 99-92) over top contender Tsuyoshi Nakamura (22-4-2, 11 KOs), 129.75, over ten fast rounds on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.
Honmo, a soft-punching but fast jabber, took the initiative with his left hand and quick combination, piling up points steadily to register his sixth defense.
Japanese welter champ Hiroyuki Maeda (29-7-2, 18 KOs), 153.25, caught game Korean Jooyoung Lee (6-5-1, 5 KOs), 154, with a vicious left hook following a good combo, stopping him at 0:12 of the fourth round in a scheduled ten. Maeda will renounce his 147-pound belt to aim at the national 154-pound title, which will be his fourth different belt, to make a new Japanese record. The elongated veteran started his multi-coronation from the 135-pound category.
Promoter: Kadoebi Jewel Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for the Maeda vs. Lee bout).
(10-16-04)
October 11, 2004
TOKYO, JAPAN-WBC #5 ranked Japanese flyweight champ Daisuke Naito, 112, kept his newly acquired national belt as he blasted out Takeyuki Naito, 112, just 24 seconds into the first round on Monday in Tokyo, Japan.
Naito, making his first defense since dethroning Hiroshi Nakano in the ex-champ’s home turf Nagoya, established an infamous shortest KO defeat in world fly title bouts, in only 34 seconds of the opening session, having been flattened by a single shot of Pongsaklek Wongjongkam with his WBC belt at stake in Thailand in April 2002. Naito, however, thus registered the shortest KO victory in national fly title goes to stun the crowd.
WBA #12 ranked 108-pounder Takahisa Masuda, 107.75, earned a unanimous duke (98-95 twice and 98-94) over Keitsuke Furukawa, 108, over ten.
Promoter: Miyata Promotions.
(10-11-04)
October 18, 2004
FUKUOKA, JAPAN-Unbeaten Japanese #8 ranked 115-pounder Daisuke Maruyama (17-0, 13 KOs), 114.75, scored a unanimous decision (100-91, 99-92 and 98-92) over Thai #8 contender Yodpetch Soh Sasakul (8-5, 1 KO), 114.75, on Monday in Fukuoka, Japan. Maruyama scored a winning streak of 13, all within the distance, from his pro debut, but failed to register a KO win in these four bouts since.
Promoter: Chikuho Promotions.
(10-18-04)