July 17, 2005
OSAKA, JAPAN-WBC 115-pound champ Katsushige Kawashima (28-3, 18 KOs) will risk his belt against former titlist Masamori Tokuyama (30-3-1, 8 KOs) in their rubber match at the Central Gymnasium, Osaka, Japan, tomorrow (Monday). The weigh-in ceremony of today saw the 30-year-old champ tip the beam at 114.75 to 115-pound class limit for Tokuyama, only 19 days older at the same 30 year of age.
The WBC officials are as follows: referee Ian John-Lewis (England); judges James JenKin (US), Kazuo Abe and Hisatoshi Miyazaki (both Japan); and WBC supervisor Frank Quill (Australia).
The anticipated Kawashima-Tokuyama trilogy will complete tomorrow with Japanese people’s great attentions. Tokuyama, in June 2003, successfully made his seventh defense of the WBC throne by a close but unanimous decision over Kawashima in Yokohama, the challenger’s home turf, since he captured it via upset lopsided decision over Korean Injoo Cho in Osaka in 2000. Almost a year later Tokuyama, making his ninth defense, unexpectedly lost his belt by a shocking first round stoppage by Kawashima in their rematch in Yokohama. The rugged puncher Kawashima, handled by ex-WBC and WBA 105-pound champ Hideyuki Ohashi, kept it twice as he floored Mexican Raul Juarez three times en route to a unanimous nod in Yokohama last September and eked out a controversial split verdict over Jose Navarro in Tokyo this January. During that time the ex-champ Tokuyama had been inactive, and started training since this spring. For the taller and more intelligent boxer Tokuyama it will be his first appearance since his forfeiture of the belt a year and twenty days ago.
Tokuyama is a better jabber and footworker, but Kawashima is a prefight favorite here thanks to his busier and more regular activities. Tokuyama has been strenuous training with a physical specialist to have reportedly gained greater muscular power. But boxing isn’t a physical test. The better and stronger may win. Kawashima, though two inches shorter, is a more destructive power puncher as shown in his title-winning performance of dropping Tokuyama with a pulverizing right cross twice prior to the astounding stoppage. Tokuyama may be able to outjab and outbox the onrushing champ, if he should regain his previous sharpness. If not, Kawashima will overwhelm the ring-rusty ex-champ with his superior speed, stamina and power. Hideo Kanazawa, ex-Orient junior middle champ piloting Tokuyama, predicts, “It’s time that Tokuyama and Ohashi will return the belt to us. Last time did Kawashima win by a fluke. Tokuyama will certainly win back the belt, which was his own.” Ohashi is also a very confident manager, saying, “Kawashima has kept improving in every bout, and is now much stronger than Tokuyama. Kawashima may win again by a spectacular knockout.” Kawashima is said through medical tests to have such respirational ability like marathon runners as he would be able to fight twenty rounds a night.
Tokuyama is obviously beyond the size of a 115-pounder, as big as a full-fledged bantamweight (118-pounder). In all his nine defenses, including his ill-fated defeat by Kawashima, he struggled to make the weight, so he often revealed a problem of stamina to have had a tendency of slowing down in later rounds if going the distance. It may also be seen in their third encounter. Should Tokuyama positively start the fight and take the good rhythm in earlier rounds, he may be able to outbox and outmaneuver Kawashima with his vaunted stinging lefts. Should his weigh-making be as sever as previously, however, Kawashima may catch the ex-champ who hasn’t fought over a year. It will depend on the effect of Tokuyama’s ring rust whether Kawashima will keep his belt or Tokuyama will regain it. Through their long preparation (Kawashima’s last against Navarro took place in January), both are reported in being fine and sharp in the workout. If so, it will be a highly competitive fight that either may win this time.
In a supporting card, Australian Sakio Bika was supposed to defend his middleweight belt of the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) against ex-Japanese national champ Yoshihiro Araki (14-2, 7 KOs) over 12 rounds. Bika, however, suffered torn muscle during his training just two weeks before his first defense, and disappointingly pulled out of this show. Instead, Araki will face OPBF #2 ranked Korean national champ Kyunghoon Lee (5-1, 4 KOs) in an OPBF interim title bout under the OPBF’s condition that the winner and interim champ shall face Sakio Bika in an OPBF unification bout. Araki is a good footworker with his sharp left jab, while Lee is a very muscular boxer-puncher. It will also be a competitive fight provided that Lee should enter the ring in good shape despite a short notice.
In a supporting ten, ex-WBC flyweight champ Malcolm Tunacao (17-1-2, 12 KOs), a Filipino lefty, will face Ryoichi Hidaka (9-5-2, 4 KOs), over ten.
This show is presented by Kanazawa Promotions at Tokuyama’s home-town, Osaka, where Kawashima entered only three days before the title bout. Japanese fight fans have been discussing as to which is superior and stronger through the trilogy. It will be proven tomorrow.
(7-17-05)