December 10, 2005
OKINAWA, JAPAN-Former WBA 122-pound champ Antonio Cermeno (reportedly 45-6, 32 KOs), 130, Venezuela, returned to Japan, but tasted his first setback here as he dropped a close but unanimous decision (57-56 twice and 58-57) to unbeaten Koseki Nakama (7-0, 2 KOs), 129.5, over six rounds on Saturday in Okinawa, Japan. Cermeno floored the promoter’s son with a left shot, and decked him again but it was ignored as a slip in the second. Nakama was in command by a slight margin in the third through fifth rounds. The Venezuelan veteran went all-out in the final sixth, when he unleashed many uppercuts to hurt the Japanese, who barely withstood Cermeno’s last surge. Cermeno was in hot water against the verdict, claiming he believed he won.
Ex-WBA 108-pound ruler Carlos Murillo (reportedly 38-10-1, 29 KOs), 113.5, Panama, suffered a very quick demolition by unbeaten Japanese youngster Goh Onaga (7-0, 5 KOs), 112.75, at only 0:58 into the first round in a scheduled six. The 35-year-old Panamanian absorbed Onaga’s southpaw left that had him staggering to the corner and down there for the count. It’s a great embarrassment and disappointment that the ex-world champ was miserably vulnerable and fragile against the Japanese boy’s first solid shot.
In the main event, hard-hitting Japanese Ryu Miyagi (13-1-2, 11 KOs), 129.75, scored a quick finish of Korean Dongkook Lee (7-7-1, 6 KOs), 128, dropping him three times at 1:12 of the opening canto in a scheduled ten.
Promoter: Okinawa World Promotions.
(12-10-05)