## WORLD 112LB TWINBILL ANNOUNCED

June 1, 2008

TOKYO, JAPAN

We now have no less than seven world champions here in Japan: Hozumi Hasegawa (WBC 118), Yusuke Kobori (WBA 135), Daisuke Naito (WBC 112), Takefumi Sakata (WBA 112), Yutaka Niida (WBA 105), Jorge Linares (WBC 126) and Edwin Valero (WBA 130). Their promoters have been struggling to get TV dates before or after the Olympic Games in China.

A world flyweight twinbill was announced on Saturday, surprisingly featuring all four Japanese boxers. On July 30, WBC ruler Daisuke Naito (32-2-3, 20 KOs) will put his belt on the line against WBC#14 national champ Tomonobu Shimizu (13-2, 5 KOs) at the Yoyogi First Gymnasium, Tokyo. WBA titlist Takefumi Sakata (32-4-2, 15 KOs) will defend his throne against WBA#3 Hiroyuki Hisataka (16-6-1, 5 KOs), a recent conqueror of world-rated Hussein Hussein. Whoever may win, the number of world belts in Japan will not change, but it might be a problem whether people love such confrontations of compatriots, as they look like national title bouts though the WBC and the WBA belts at stake.

(6-1-08)

Back to Oriental Boxing

Go to Top