## OKUBO BARELY KEEPS OPBF FLY BELT

August 16, 2008

TOKYO, JAPAN

WBC#24 OPBF flyweight champ Masafumi Okubo (13-2-1, 4 KOs), 111.5, barely kept his regional belt as he was held to an early technical draw by OPBF#4 Yasuto Aritomi (14-1-1, 5 KOs), 112, because of his bad bleeding from the forehead caused by a head-collision at 0:50 of the third session on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.

It was such a competitive bout that they scored with overhand rights each other from the outset, but before it became hotter, it unfortunately ended in such a fashion to disappoint the audience. After the second, the champ Okubo was leading on points: 20-18, 20-19 both for him, and 19-19. Aritomifs group strongly demands a rematch, saying the champ could have gone on.

In the main event, unbeaten OPBF#2 feather hard-puncher Satoshi gBazookah Hosono (12-0, 10 KOs), 128, finally halted Indonesian super-bantam ruler La Amir Laila (14-5-4, 7 KOs), 127, with the refereefs intervention to lopsided proceedings at 2:59 of the ninth round, though the victor had a tough time finishing the Indonesian due to his admirable durability and fighting spirit. Hosono had swept almost all rounds prior to the stoppage, but Laila refused to go down and gamely retaliated with a two-fisted attack. Some of the crowd, after the eighth, began chanting gLaila, Laila!h as he displayed such a gallant performance despite bleeding from the face. The loser received a bigger applause from the audience than the winner.

### Undercard:

Unbeaten JBC#3 super-light Yoshihiro Kamegai (9-0, 8 KOs), 141.25, flattened Thailander Choke-chalerm Vor. Surapol (9-6, no KO), 140, with a smashing right cross at 2:16 of the second round in a scheduled eight. Busy-punching Tomoyuki Shiotani (11-11-1, 8 KOs), 143.5, persistently kept peppering Thailandfs Samroeng Vorsurapol (9-7-2, 1 KO), 139.25, and halted him at 2:39 of the third round in a scheduled eight.

Promoter: Yokohama Hikari Promotions.

Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for the Hosono-Laila bout).

(8-16-08)

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