## NAITO BARELY RETAINS WBC FLYWEIGHT BELT

July 30, 2008

TOKYO, JAPAN

WBC flyweight champ Daisuke Naito (33-2-3, 21 KOs), 112, Japan, barely and breathlessly kept his belt as he abruptly scored a come-from-behind knockout over WBC#13 compatriot Tomonobu Shimizu (13-3, 5 KOs), 112, at 0:57 of the tenth session in a scheduled twelve-round title bout on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan. The defending champ, sluggish and less accurate all the way from the outset, was trailing on points after the ninth, as follows: Noppharat Sricharoen (Thailand) 87-84, Dongahn Park (Korea) 87-85 and Bongjun Kim (Korea) 87-86, all in favor of the fast-moving counterpuncher Shimizu. Referee was Frank Garza (US).

It reminded this reporter of a similar, if more dramatic, avenging KO that Jake LaMotta turned the tables on Laurent Dauthuille in the fifteenth and final stanza in Detroit in 1950. Naito, 33, wasnft what he used to be tonight as he looked slower, less sharp and less accurate than usual from the opening round. Shimizu, who previously failed to represent Japan in the previous Olympic Games in Athens to turn professional in 2004, had studied the champfs style and defects so well that he could show such an unexpectedly good performance, though finally resulting in a KO defeat.

Naito, making his third defense, attempted an opening attack but took a few but well-timed right counters from Shimizu, 27, a baby-faced newcomer and national 112-pound champ. The champ, as usual, utilized low ducking and showboating to try to frustrate the challenger, who, however, cautiously took the distance, kept moving to avert Naitofs roundhouse blows almost completely and countered with overhand rights and left hooks with precision.

After the fourth was over, the WBC open score system showed 38-38 twice and 39-37 for Shimizu, which appeared a little generous to the champ who kept missing the target.

Shimizu, an upright stylist an inch taller than the champ, was also in command in the fifth as he outjabbed the apparently sluggish champ. Naito might have dominated the fifth and sixth when he roughly kept boring in to stalk the elusive challenger, who was just content to avert the champfs wild but less accurate aggression.

After Shimizu often connected with right counters to the rough-and-tumble champ to win a point in the eighth, the official scores were disclosed again: 77-75, 77-76 both for Shimizu, and 76-76. It was the rhythmically moving challenger that obviously took a point again in the ninth, when he had the champ repeatedly missing big punches. Ringsiders said each other, gNaito is losing. He cannot catch up with the fleet-footed challenger. Shimizu is fighting much better than we had expected.h

The champ was desperate and eager to turn the tide. So did he. Encouraged by his corner, Naito came out fighting in the tenth and threw wild punches to the bewildered challenger. A solid left hook following a right shook him up effectively, and Naito connected with a double big right to the side of the head. Shimizu went down. Aware of having been leading on points, Shimizu openly regretted his carelessness and hit the canvas with his gloves as Oscar De La Hoya did after his annihilation by Bernard Hopkins.

As soon as Shimizu resumed fighting, Naito hurriedly swarmed over him with a flurry of punches, roundhouse left and right hooks, which again sent him to the canvas. Shimizu, this time, couldnft pull himself up because of his fatigue and damage only to be counted out by the referee Garza.

The champ was crying for joy, while the crestfallen challenger was crying over split milk on the stool. Naito said at the interview in the ring, gItfs a shameful performance as I was losing on points. So, I went all out for retaliation to keep my belt. Next time Ifll show a better fight.h

Unbeaten WBA#1/WBC#3 Koki Kameda then climbed up to the ring to celebrate Naitofs dramatic triumph. Kameda said, gItfs a beautiful victory, and Ifll challenge Naito.h His words might be the best celebration for Naito, if really true, as Naito may expect a good payday in such a sensational encounter.

Shimizu, one of the most handsome Japanese boxers warmly supported by girl fans and ex-schoolmates of Tokyo Agricultural University, may be a Japanese version of Chuck Davey who finally couldnft reach the world diadem after his defeat by Kid Gavilan in 1953. The sweet baby-face seemed to lack something to become the world champ, having lost twice to Pongsaklek Wongjongkam and Naito in a bid for the world belt.

Promoter: Miyata Promotions.

(7-30-08)

A world title twinbill will take place in Tokyo, Japan, tomorrow (Wednesday). WBC flyweight champ Daisuke Naito (33-2-2, 20 KOs), 33, will put his belt on the line against up-and-coming Japanese national titlist Tomonobu Shimizu (13-2, 5 KOs), 27, over twelve rounds. Also, WBA flyweight ruler Takefumi Sakata (32-4-2, 15 KOs), 28, will face compatriot Hiroyuki Hisataka (22-4-2, 8 KOs), 23, over twelve. Both title bouts will be battled by all Japanese contestants, which is the first time in history.

Today there was a weigh-in ceremony at the Korakuen Hall, where they scales in as follows: Naito, Shimizu and Sakata all 112 pounds, the limit of the category, and only Hisataka 111.75. It is very rare that Japanese boxers, especially in world title goes, fail in the weigh-in at the first trip to the scale, so it smoothly ended for all the four in just five minutes.

The officials are as follows:

WBC: referee Frank Garza (US); judges Jaebong Kim, Dongahn Park (both Korea) and Noppharat Sricharoen (Thailand); supervisor Roy Van Putten (Aruba).

WBA: referee Kazunobu Asao (Japan); judges Pinit Prayadsab (Thailand), Takeshi Shimakawa and Takeo Harada (both Japan); supervisor Tsuyoshi Yasukochi (Japan).

Naito, making his third defense, became popular with his inside story that the bullied child in the boyhood became a world champ. But the champ this time is going to bullying the handsome but less experienced challenger, who had once tasted a bitter defeat at the hand of former champ Pongsaklek Wongjongkam by a seventh-round TKO defeat in his first quest for the belt in Thailand in April of the previous year. Naito, a tricky but clever tactician, will be the prohibitive favorite who is apparently superior to Shimizu in speed, skills, power, durability and experience except in handsomeness.

Naito dethroned Pongsaklek via upset verdict last July, and kept his throne twice against previously unbeaten but untested Daiki Kameda (W12) and ex-titlist Pongsaklek (D12). Naito usually fights in an unorthodox way, moving incessantly and throwing from unpredictable angles. He can punch as shown in a title bout with the OPBF and Japanese belts at stake where he (the national champ) impressively pulverized the regional champ Noriyuki Komatsu with a single vicious right cross in the sixth in 2006.

Shimizu, whose amateur mark was 68-10 with 25 stoppages, wrested the national belt by outmaneuvering dirty-fighting defending champ Kenji Yoshida by averting not only his notorious head but his roundhouse punches this April. It is only his achievement so far. Though Shimizu, ex-university boxer, has a newcomerfs chance, he may not be able to fight better than Pete Rademacher against Floyd Patterson.

The other WBA title bout may be more interesting, as Hisataka is a good challenger though he lost three times in his last four bouts. Why could he get a world title shot? Hisataka, a crisp-punching youngster from Osaka, decked an upset victory over then highly rated Australian Hussein Hussein by a close but unanimous decision last December. He had dropped a controversial nod to Wyndel Janiola in Manila, Philippines, last August, when many Filipino people warmly supported Hisatakafs de-facto victory.

Sakata, making his fourth defense since dethroning Lorenzo Parra via second-round stoppage sixteen months ago, is well-known for being a slow starter who, however, accelerates his persistent attack, especially his body bombardment, as the contest progresses ? a la Antonio Margarito. Hisataka, on the contrary, is an early starter, though usually slowing down in later rounds. Should Hisataka catch the slow-starting champ at the early stage of the game, anything may happen in the ring.

But people who watched Sakata training say, gSakata has changed this time, as he can start from the outset.h Sakata displayed brilliant sparring sessions with ex-WBA 115-pound champ Nobuo Nashiro before many press people, and overwhelmed the heavier ex-champ with his early start as well as his abundant stamina (which is really his specialty and asset). Nashiro who had sparring with all the four said, gSakata was the strongest.h If so, and if Hisataka cannot take the initiative in early rounds, Sakata will overwhelmingly dominate the second half to keep his belt without doubt.

It was common to see foreign boxing people, whether a group of a champion or a challenger, at the weigh-in prior to a world title competition, but this time all except for some foreign officials were Japanese people. In this regard, it wasnft an atmosphere of world title bouts but national title games, but if Shimizu and Hisataka should show his determination and durability, they may be good contests. We hope so.

This show is presented by Miyata Promotions (which handles the WBC champ Naito) in association with Kyoei Promotions (which promotes WBA ruler Sakata). The reason why they didnft separately promote their own champ is simply that we have had no less than eight world champs (including Japan-based Venezuelan kingpins Jorge Linares and Edwin Valero, plus newly-crowned WBC 108-pound interim female champ Naomi Togashi) in such a small market as Japan. Many world champs may prove our market is prosperous, but too many may not be desirable. Funny enough, whoever may win or lose tomorrow, the WBC and WBA champs will be still Japanese.

(7-29-08)

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