May 16, 2005
TOKYO, JAPAN-Unbeaten Japan-based Russian, WBC #13 ranked Sasha Baktine (14-0, 5 KOs), 118, easily kept his Japanese national bantam belt by winning a shutout decision (100-92 twice and 100-90) over WBC #35 ex-superfly champ Masaki Kawabata (22-7-2, 12 KOs), 118, over a monotonously lopsided ten on Monday in Tokyo, Japan.
The 23-year-old elongated Russian gave a lesson to the shorter and slower ex-champ, ten years his senior, as he had Kawabata on the defensive with his constant jabs and one-two combos all night. It just looked like a Wright-Trinidad affair.
Japanese #8 welter Takejiro Kato (17-6-2, 9 KOs), 146.25, displayed his last surge to overcome his early points deficits, winning a hairline nod (77-76 twice and 78-77) over lanky lefty Tatsuya Ishizawa (6-7, 3 KOs), 147, over eight. Slick-punching Nobuhisa Doi (17-8-5, 6 KOs), 122, utilized his experience in serving as a sparring partner for Marco Antonio Barrera, and earned a unanimous verdict (79-77 twice and 78-76) over previously unbeaten Norikazu Saito (7-1, no KO), a busy-punching southpaw, 122, over eight. Hard-punching but rough-and-tumble Kodai Kiyota (7-1, 7 KOs), 139.5, brutally dropped Shota Haruyama (7-9, 4 KOs), 139.75, at 1:28 of the second round in a first eight.
Promoter: Kyoei Promotions.
(5-16-05)
May 12, 2005
TOKYO, JAPAN-Four-time world lightweight challenger Hiroyuki Sakamoto’s comeback attempt resulted in a disaster, as Sakamoto (37-7, 27 KOs), 142.25, was miserably stopped by unheralded Japanese #4 welter Tsukasa Kashiwagi (13-8-2, 10 KOs), 143.5, at 1:52 of the fifth round on Thursday (May 12) in Tokyo, Japan. The 34-year-old Sakamoto recently recovered from a herniotomy after a two-year and five-month hiatus, and faced the physically bigger and mentally willing southpaw to too recklessly mix it up only to be overpowered and outpunched lopsidedly in the fatal session. Sakamoto had lost to Steve Johnston, Cesar Bazan, Gilberto Serrano and Takanori Sakamoto in a quest for the WBC or WBA 135-pound throne, having lost in all the four occasions. The crestfallen loser said he would continue his comeback campaign.
Rugged and aggressive Yusuke Kobori (14-2-1, 6 KOs), 130, banged it out en route to a unanimous decision (98-94, 97-93 and 97-95) over previously unbeaten Akira Yamazaki (5-1-2, 2 KOs), 139.75, over ten. Japanese top bantam contender Yasuo Kijima (18-7-2, 5 KOs), 117.5, showed a luckluster performance but earned a unanimoud nod (78-76, 79-75 and 80-74) over Yugo Tsuboi (5-9-5, no KO), 117.5, over eight. Japanese #6 fly Katsunori Ito (15-6-4, only one KO), 115, struggled to earn a hairline verdict over Seiichi Haraguchi (10-3, 4 KOs), 115, over eight. Japanese #6 ranked 115-pounder Shota Terabatake (11-3, 3 KOs), 117.5, halted southpaw Rikiya Orita (9-3-2, 5 KOs), 117.5, at 2:59 of the third session in a scheduled eight.
Promoter: Kadoebi Jewel Promotions.
(5-12-05)
May 3, 2005
OKAYAMA, JAPAN-WBC #15 ranked feather Gamaliel Diaz (18-5-2, 9 KOs), 126, Mexico, kept sticking effective jabs all the way to bloody Japanese #8 ranked superbantam Naoto Fujiwara (17-4, 9 KOs), 125.75, so badly that the ref didn’t bother to halt the affair at 1:50 of the ninth session in Okayama, Japan, on May 3. The tall and lanky Mexican had the Japanese boy’s optic swollen with his constant jabs, and scored 15 wins straight.
Promoter: Martial Arts Club.
(5-3-05)
May 1, 2005
OSAKA, JAPAN-Southpaw Hiroshi Yoshiyama (12-3, 5 KOs), 115, battered ex-Thai flyweight champ Panomdej Auyuthanakorn (reportedly 33-24, 12 KOs), 114.75, to halt him at 0:38 of the second round in a scheduled ten in Osaka, Japan, on May 1. We saw an apparent tendency that the local referees stopped bouts earlier than previously after the sad ring tragedy of former national 115-pound champ Seiji Tanaka who passed away, though no one complained of their premature stoppages.
Unbeaten feather prospect Kenji Yoshimura (4-0, 2 KOs), 126.75, defeated Philippine #4 ranked 126-pounder Rod 4K Kevkatche (reportedly 15-13-3, 8 KOs), 126, over eight. Yoshimura, an ex-amateur southpaw, outspeeded the Filipino to show his improvement.
Promoter: Musashi Yoshiyama and Osaka Teiken Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for the Yoshiyama vs. Panomdej bout).
(5-1-05)
April 30, 2005
OSAKA, JAPAN-WBC #17 ranked 122-pounder Akihiro Kanai (23-2, 18 KOs), 121.5, was awarded a technical decision over overmatched Takuro Kodama (5-3-3, 3 KOs), 121, at 1:25 of the seventh round in a scheduled ten in Osaka, Japan, on April 30.
Promoter: Taiho Promotions.
(4-30-05)
April 24, 2005
SHIZUOKA, JAPAN-WBA#4/WBC#11 Japanese 108-pound champ Nobuaki Masuda (21-3, 3 KOs) kept his national belt by outscoring Kosuke Fujiwara (8-5-1, no KO) by a close but unanimous nod (96-94 twice and 97-94) over ten heats in Shizuoka, Japan, on April 24.
Promoter: Hiraishi Promotions.
(4-24-05)
April 24, 2005
IBOGUN, HYOGO, JAPAN-Japanese #3 ranked feather Akinori Kanai (15-1, 15 KOs) appeared for the first time since his unsuccessful crack at the national 126-pound belt in a TKO defeat by defending champ Hiroyuki Enoki in Tokyo, and stopped Akira Ebisuoka at 2:34 of the third round in a scheduled ten.
Promoter: Himeji Kinoshita Promotions.
(4-24-05)
April 24, 2005
KARIYA, JAPAN-Unbeaten Japanese #7 bantam Akio Konishi (14-0, 12 KOs) finished Minoru Masuda in the second round in a scheduled ten in Kariya, Japan, on April 24.
Promoter: Heiwa Promotions.
(4-24-05)