March 17, 2007
TOKYO, JAPAN
Unbeaten Japanese prospect Koji Sato (9-0, 8 KOs), 159, acquired the vacant OPBF middleweight belt as he floored OPBF top ranked Australian champ Adam Vella (19-2, 6 KOs), 160, in the fourth and ninth rounds to stop him at 1:11 of the ninth round on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.
It was a very competitive fight, as Vella utilized his superior speed, while Sato, taller and more aggressive, displayed his greater power. After Vella came off the canvas in the fourth, the Australian showed his heart and skills in moving to-and-fro and countering the willing mixer in the fifth and sixth. Sato, however, accelerated his attack and finally caught Vella with a flurry of punches to put him prone on the deck, when the towel was tossed in by the loserfs corner. Before the trick happened, the official tallies were: 77-75 (scoring ref Jaebong Kim), 78-73 (Brian McMahon) and 76-75 (Nobuaki Uratani), all in favor of Sato, who had been training under the tutelage of ex-world champ Mike McCullum in Las Vegas.
Promoter: Teiken Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(3-17-07)