November 6, 2006
November 6, 2006
OSAKA, JAPAN
Ex-WBC 105-pound champ Katsunari Takayama (17-2, 7 KOs) (right photo), Japan, will square off against WBA top ranked contender Carlos Melo (16-4, 2 KOs), Panama, in a quest for the WBA interim minimumweight belt tomorrow (Tuesday) in Osaka, Japan.
Each tipped the beam at the 105-pound class limit this afternoon. Though Melo was reported to have a difficulty making the weight, the Panamanian looked fine enough at the weigh-in ceremony. Takayama, a year his junior at 23, also appeared confident to win the belt before his local adherents.
Takayama was slated to face WBA full champ and compatriot Yutaka Niida on September 2, but the defending titlist suffered a rib fracture during a sparring session to be unable to face Takayama as he turned out to require a rest for more than three months. The WBA gave a special sanction to the interim title bout between the perennial #1 contender Melo and the victim of the cancellation.
Takayama is a fast-moving and busy-punching speedster. He once captured the WBC belt by lopsidedly outspeeding and outpunching Mexican Isaac Bustos in April of the previous year. The youngster, however, yielded his title, in his first defense, to ex-champ Eagle Kyowa, a Thailander living in Tokyo who had forfeited his belt to Bustos because of a shoulder dislocation during the game. Since then, Takayama scored a couple of impressive victories over Filipino Rollen Del Castillo and world-rated Satoshi Kogumazaka to his credit.
Melo also boasts of his gifted speed on hand and foot. Despite his low KO ratio he is an excellent boxer and footworker with good reflexes. The Panamanian acquired the WBA Fedecentro belt by outscoring Jose Luis Varela and kept it against Miguel Tellez, Alejandro Fidel Ordonez and Abraham Irias. Though losing to WBA top ranked light-fly Juan Jose Landaeta on points, Melo earned a majority nod to gain the WBA Fedelatin 105-pound title last October. Melo said at the press conference, “I am superior to Takayama and will show it tomorrow to take the belt to Panama.”
The WBA officials are as follows: referee Silvestre Abainza (Philippines); judges Levi Martinez (US), Cesar Ramos (Puerto Rico) and Chalerm Prayadsab (Thailand); and supervisor Yangsup Shim (Korea).
This show is presented by Green Tsuda Promotions of Osaka.
(11-6-06)