June 4, 2007
TOKYO, JAPAN
WBC 105-pound champ Eagle Kyowa (17-1, 6 KOs), a Japan-based Thailander, will risk his belt against fast-rising ex-OPBF champ Akira Yaegashi (6-0, 5 KOs) tonight (Monday) in Yokohama, Japan.
Eagle tipped the beam at 104.75 to the 105 pound class limit for Yaegashi, ex-amateur national champ who has run up the stairs so fast as he acquired the OPBF belt in his fifth pro bout and kept it once before renouncing it to fight in an ambitious quest for the world diadem.
Eagle, four years his senior at 28, at first captured the WBC belt by sweeping all rounds over defending champ Jose Antonio Aguirre in 2004, but lost his crown to Mexican Isaac Bustos due to a right shoulder injury during the fourth round in his second defense that year. The Thailander, however, recaptured the belt by unanimously defeating Katsunari Takayama on points in 2005. Eagle retained his throne three times since, defeating Ken Nakajima (TKO7), Rodel Mayol (W12) and Lorenzo Trejo (W12) to his credit.
Yaegashi, a fast-handed early starter, may have a chance if he should start well to take the initiative all the way, though Eagle is still a prefight favorite because of his superior experience.
The WBC officials are as follows: referee Jose Cobian (US); judges Ray Hawkins (US), Jose de la Mora Delgado (Mexico) and Nicolas Hidalgo (Venezuela); and supervisor Robert Yalen (US).
This show is presented by ex-WBC/WBA 105-pound champ Hideyuki Ohashi.
(6-4-07)