April 16, 2005
TOKYO, JAPAN-WBA#4/WBC#8 ranked, unbeaten speedster Shoji Kimura (18-0-1, 7 KOs), 122, barely wrested the Japanese national 122-pound belt as he was awarded a hairline split decision (96-95 twice and 95-97) over WBC#4 defending champ Yoshikane Nakajima (15-7-5, 4 KOs), 122, over ten give-and-take frames on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.
It was a see-saw affair of the speedsters, who kept exchanging sharp combinations from the start to the end. Kimura scored a well-timed countering right, flooring the champ miday in the fourth round. It eventually cost Nakajima his national belt, as it was a very close contest and the dethroned champ threw more jabs and more combinations in later rounds. Kimura, managed by ex-WBA flyweight champ Susumu Hanagata, looked less aggressive but more effective in scoring good left uppercuts to the chin and solid overhand rights to the face.
Promoter: Teiken Promotions.
(4-16-05)