January 8, 2005
TOKYO, JAPAN-The first show of this year at the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan, was a sensational encounter of unbeaten 126-pounders before the packed-house crowd. Unbeaten WBC #15 ranked Hiroyuki Enoki (21-0-1, 17 KOs), 125.75, kept his Japanese featherweight belt as he concentrated on throwing stinging lefts to WBA #11 ranked Japanese top contender Akinori Kanai (14-1, 14 KOs), 126, and finally stopped him with a flurry of punches at 1:35 of the seventh session on Saturday night.
It became an unexpectedly lopsided affair, as Enokifs stiff jabs were effective enough to finally close his right eye. Kanai failed to tie the Japanese record of 15 consecutive knockouts held by ex-WBC 140-pound champ Tsuyoshi Hamada. Though Kanai, a taller prospect from Himeji City, made a good start, the champfs left hand began to have the right optic puffed in the second. As the contest progressed, the challengerfs right eye became badly swollen and finally almost closed. Midway in the fatal seventh, referee Fukuchi had the wound examined by the ringside physician. Shortly after it resumed, Enoki almost toppled the fading challenger with a vicious left hook to cause the reffs prompt stoppage. Scored after the sixth: 60-55 twice and 59-56, all for the defending champ who had dethroned Dainoshin Kuma last September and thus made his first defense.
Japanese top flyweight contender Katsunori Ito (14-6-4, only 1 KO), 115, eked out a majority decision (77-74, 77-76 and 76-76) over unranked Satoshi Usui (15-10-4, 6 KOs), 115, in a gory and lousy eight. Each was penalized a point because of repeated head-butts in the seventh. Japanese #9 suerpfly Shota Terabatake (10-3, 2 KOs), 118, was awarded a split verdict (78-75 twice and 76-77) over Sho Suzuki (8-2-1, 2 KOs), 117.5, over a dull eight.
Promoter: Kadoebi Jewel Promotions.
(1-8-05)