November 21, 2006
TOKYO, JAPAN
40-year-old Japanese veteran Yoshinori Nishizawa (28-17-5, 16 KOs), 175, acquired the vacant OPBF light-heavyweight belt as he blasted out OPBF#2 sluggish Fijian Marika Katonivere (reportedly 10-7-1, 5 KOs), 180, at 1:39 of the opening session in a scheduled twelve on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan.
It was ballyhooed as Nishizawa’s 20th anniversary as a professional boxer, but resulted in a bizarre show. Katonivere had failed to make the weight, having five pounds over the class limit. He was said to have stayed in sauna bath for two hours only to reduce three pounds since he scaled in eight pounds over the limit at his first trip to the scale. The Fijian probably had neither energy nor zip left despite more than 24 hours before the fight to recuperate from his severe reduction of weight. Nishizawa’s left uppercut to the side of the belly sank him in agony for the count. The chauvinistic crowd celebrated his coronation, but was stunned at the unexpectedly too quick demolition as the Fijian showed nothing at all. The OPBF referee was Korean Jaebong Kim, and the two judges were Brad Vocale (Australian) and Kazunobu Asao (Japan), who didn’t score any round.
Promoter: Yonekura Promotions.
(11-22-06)
November 20, 2006
TOKYO, JAPAN
Unbeaten Japanese #2 ranked southpaw welter Akibe Ushiwakamaru (AKA Akinori Watanabe; 11-0, 10 KOs), 148.25, decked Indonesian #2 welter Syamsul Hidayat (12-8-2, 5 KOs), 145, twice and dispatched him for the fatal ten at 1:10 of the first session in a scheduled eight on Monday in Tokyo, Japan.
The wild-swinging lefty caught the shorter Indoneisan at first with a southpaw right hook to produce a flash knockdown, and decked him again with a wicked shot to the solar plexus to have him prone for the count.
Japanese #7 super-feather Hiroyasu Matsuzaki (15-1, 8 KOs), 132.5, earned a unanimous nod (80-74, 79-73 and 79-75) over Yoshinobu Sakai (6-4, 1 KO), 132, over eight. Japanese #5 super-bantam Mikihito Setoh (21-6-1, 10 KOs), 121.5, was also a unanimous winner on points over Shigeo Hori (12-8, 3 KOs), 122, by withstanding the loser’s ninth-round assault over eight. All the judges tallied 79-75 for Setoh, who previously defeated currently world rated Akifumi Shimoda.
Promoter: Kyoei Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for the Ushiwakamaru-Hidayat bout).
(11-20-06)
November 7, 2006
OSAKA, JAPAN
OPBF and Japanese top light-fly contender Takashi Kunishige (17-2, 2 KOs), 108, scored an upset unanimous decision (96-94 twice and 97-94) over WBC#10 ranked ex-world challenger Ken Nakashima (16-4, 10 KOs), 108, over ten.
(11-7-06)
November 13, 2006
Unbeaten WBC#15 feather Takahiro Ao (13-0, 8 KOs), 127, scored a fine stoppage of Mexican Gabriel Perez (9-4, 4 KOs), 127.5, at 1:27 of the sixth and final session. Once-beaten WBC#14 super-bantam Akifumi Shimoda (14-1, 8 KOs), 122.75, won a unanimous decision over Filipino Sonny Gonzales (10-8-3, 2 KOs), 122.75, over six. Ex-Olympian in Athens, Toshiyuki Igarashi (2-0, 2 KOs), 111.75, halted durable Korean #7 fly Jaesung Myung (4-3, no KO), 110.25, at 0:19 of the sixth and final round. These three winners are handled by Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions.
(11-13-06)