February 10, 2007
TOKYO, JAPAN
Formerly four-time amateur national champ, OPBF#9 ranked 130-pounder Takashi Uchiyama (6-0, 4 KOs), 132.25, dominated all rounds but the seventh when he hit the deck, winning a unanimous decision (all 98-92) over OPBF#5 ranked Thai champ Muangfahlek Kiatwichean Chuwatana (15-9, 9 KOs), Thailand, over ten on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.
Uchiyama was aggressive all the way, but as he took a big countering right of Muangfahlek in the first round, he became a little cautious and failed to show his expected combinations, though steadily winning points. Muangfahlek, a 36-year-old legendary Muay-thai fighter having fought more than 200 bouts, turned an international style boxer at the age of 29, and acquired the Thai national belt and remains in the OPBF top ten.
Uchiyama, urged to score an expected KO win, turned loose and pinned him to the corner with a barrage of punches in round seven. Then Muangfahlekfs right counter caught Uchiyamafs chin, and the prospect surprisingly went down for a compulsory eight count. Motivated and more aggressive than previously, Uchiyama was in command in the last three rounds, but Muangfahlek lasted the distance.
Uchiyama, 27, is gunning for a shot at the OPBF 130-pound belt, but had better experience more bouts as he is a vastly talented hard-puncher whose amateur mark was 91-22, 59 stoppages. He is such an attractive hard-hitter as to have been scouted by the K-1 group prior to his entry into the paid ranks.
Japanese #7 lightweight Hiroshi Nakamori (19-1-1, 13 KOs), 140, impressively scored an important triumph over previously unbeaten #3 super-light Yosukezan Onodera (16-1, 6 KOs), 139.5, dropping him three times in the third, fourth and seventh en route to a fine TKO at 0:38 of the seventh round in a scheduled eight. Nakamori, faster and hard-hitting, swarmed over him, but Onodera fought back hard to win the fifth and sixth with a flurry of punches to have the tide turn. But Nakamorifs retaliation decked him in the seventh, when a towel came in fluttering from his corner.
Unbeaten Japanese #8 bantam Kazuma Miura (9-0, 5 KOs), 122.5, imitated a Floyd Mayweather Jr. style but failed to score an expected KO win only to be content with a unanimous nod (80-82, 80-73 and 79-72) over eight.
Hard-hitting Ryuji Migaki (8-1, 7 KOs), 135, was unable to extend his seven consecutive KO wins only to earn a shutout verdict (60-54 twice and 60-53) over six.
Promoter: Watanabe Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for the Uchiyama-Muangfahlek main event).
(2-10-07)