October 30, 2004
NAGOYA, JAPAN-WBC #18 ranked 130-pounder Ryuhei Sugita (27-2-2, 21 KOs), 132.25, eked out a close but unanimous decision (98-95, 97-94 and 96-95) over OPBF #7 ranked Thai national champ Muangfahlek Kiatwichien (10-4, 7 KOs), 132.25, over grueling ten on Saturday in Nagoya, Japan.
It was such a gory affair that both battled with their faces in crimson. Muangfahlek counterpunched the Japanese well in earlier rounds, but was penalized a point due to hitting while he held Sugita’s head in the fourth. Sugita bled from the nostrils in the fourth, and Muangfahlek had the left optic badly swollen in the fifth. Sugita began to bleed from a gash over the right eyebrow in the sixth, and Muangfahlek also started bleeding from a cut over the right optic in the ninth. Sugita showed his superior stamina and aggression in later rounds to overcome his early deficit on points and decked a hard-fought victory. Sugita scored his second triumph since he failed to win the WBA 130-pound belt on a seventh round TKO by Yodsanan 3K Battery last February.
Unbeaten Japanese #9 fly Kohei Ohba (10-0, 6 KOs), 117.25, floored Thailander Chaiyot Au Pramot (3-4, 1 KO), 117.75, twice and stopped him at 0:47 of the fourth session in a scheduled ten. Ohba, the winner of the national Novice King (four-round) tournaments in the previous year, looked bright and promising. Thai #10 bantam Kumarnthong Poh Pluemkamol (12-19, 3 KOs), 117.25, surprisingly flattened local prospect Ryuichi Okahashi (7-2, 1 KO), 117.25, at 1:12 of the sixth in a scheduled eight.
Promoter: Hatanaka Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(10-30-04)
October 30, 2004
OSAKA, JAPAN-Hard-punching 140-pound prospect Kazuaki Matsumoto (12-1-2, 11 KOs), 139.75, scored a TKO win over OPBF #10 ranked Korean Ilhong Chung (7-5, 5 KOs), 139.5, at 1:44 of the sixth round in a scheduled ten on Saturday in Osaka, Japan. Matsumoto took the initiative from the third and brought Chung to a standstill with a flurry of punches in the fourth. His furious combination prompted the referee’s intervention in the fatal sixth.
Hiroshi Yoshiyama (10-3, 5 KOs), 115, kept streaming blood so profusely that he was awarded a technical decision (59-54 twice and 60-53) over Thailander Phayap Pathavikorn-gym (2-4, no KO), 114.25, after the sixth in a scheduled eight.
Promoter: Musashi Yoshiyama Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(10-30-04)
November 1, 2004
TOKYO, JAPAN-The A-Class Prize tournaments came to an end with three finals. This annual tourney used to be a popular event promoted by Japan Professional Boxing Association (JPBA), which is the union of club owners, under the condition that the winner should be promised a title shot against the national champ of his class. Our champions, however, sometimes refused to accept defending their belts against the Japanese commission’s mandatory challengers and then the winners of the A-Class tournaments as well. Now that the privilege of the tourney winner to be given a national title shot vanished, there have been very few entries of highly ranked Japanese contenders into the tourney.
BANATAMWEIGHT: Japanese #2 Ryuichi Minoriyama (18-5-3, 7 KOs), 117.5, scored a fine KO victory over unranked Akihiro Nomura (10-6-2, 3 KOs), 117.75, at 1:55 of the opening session in a scheduled eight.
FEATHERWEIGHT: Unranked southpaw Masaki Sawanaga (16-7-3, 5 KOs), 126, confused Japanese #3 Yoshinori Miyata (13-3-1, 9 KOs), 125.75, with his puzzling lefty style to score an upset majority decision (78-76, 77-76 and 77-77) over eight.
LIGHTWEIGHT: Japanese #9 ranked Kei Igarashi (13-3-2, 2 KOs), 134.5, earned a unanimous nod over formerly top contender Tetsuya Shinozaki (17-13-7, 7 KOs), 135, in a lousy eight. They repeated clinching each other all night.
This year the tournaments were competed in only three classes due to no entries in other divisions.
Promoter: JPBA.
(11-1-04)