## TOGASHI, KOSEKI KEEP FEMALE BELTS

December 8, 2008

TOKYO, JAPAN

A dual female world title promotion took place on Monday in Tokyo, Japan, and it won a great praise of some 2,000 spectators in attendance. It was such that the future of the female boxing in Japan may bright, should our girls continue to show such a good and entertaining performance.

WBC interim light-fly champ Naomi Togashi (5-0, 4 KOs), 107.5, impressively kept her belt as she came off the canvas in the opening session, furiously fought back from the fourth and finally scored a fine TKO win over more experienced Nanako Kikuchi (9-3-1, 3 KOs), 108, ex-WBC champ, at 0:21 of the tenth and final session.

Togashi, a 33-year-old fighting midwife, was apparently stiff and nervous in her initial defense, and badly hit the deck with the challengerfs well-timed right cross in the first round. The shorter but more skillful Kikuchi, also 33, was in command in the first three, and we thought she would easily dethrone the awkward champ. Amazingly the champ had the tide turn with her Ruben-Olivares-like body bombardments that had Kikuchi slowing down as the contest progressed. The champ had the left optic of Kikuchi badly swollen, finally closed, with her persistent retaliations. The ref Uratani wisely called a halt to save Kikuchi from further punishment, though the loserfs manager Yoko Gushiken, ex-WBA 108-pound champ, strongly claimed against the stoppage. It was such a competitive and furious affair as the Zale-Graziano give-and-take trilogy, but there was another problem whether female boxers should be allowed to fight to the utmost extent like this.

WBC atomweight (102-pound) champ Momo Koseki (7-2, 2 KOs), 102, retained her newly acquired belt as she showed a rapid progress and pounded out a unanimous decision (99-92, 98-92 and 97-93) over Hyemin Kim (2-3-1, 2 KOs), 101.5, over ten. Korean female judge Kyoungha Shin, a nurse, tallied 99-92, the severest against her compatriot, which produced an applause among our spectators. It was such a lopsided contest as Ms. Shin rightly scored. The other judges, Fukuchi and Marti, might have sympathized with Kimfs fighting spirit despite her losing effort and generously given the Korean challenger more points than Shin.

Promoter: Shirai Gushiken Promotions.

(12-8-08)

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