April 2, 2005
TOKYO, JAPAN-Unbeaten WBC#12/WBA#13 Hiroyuki Enoki (22-0-1, 17 KOs), 126, barely kept his Japanese feather belt as he struggled to exchange jabs with WBA #14 Zaiki Takemoto (16-5-1, 11 KOs), 126, a better jabber, in the process of the bout, but dominated the last two sessions to be awarded a hairline unanimous decision (97-96 and 97-94 twice) over ten heats on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. It wasn’t an easy fight for Enoki who had dethroned previously unbeaten southpaw champ Dainoshin Kuma, as Takemoto displayed better skills and sharper combos in the see-saw affair. Enoki, making his second defense, persistently stuck to his original fight plan of throwing stinging lefts, and showed his last surge in the final two rounds. Takemoto, who had entered the WBA’s top 15 thanks to his upset win over world-rated Thailander Saohin Sirithai-Condo last April, unfortunately turned out to have suffered a broken eye socket to be immediately hospitalized for treatment. It’s a good fight, though Enoki failed to show his trade-mark aggressiveness.
Promoter: Kadoebi Jewel Promotions.
(4-2-05)