## KUROKI WRESTS OPBF 105LB BELT; OHBA KEEPS JAPANESE BANTAM BELT

November 16, 2008

NAGOYA, JAPAN

Japanese national champ Yasutaka Kuroki (20-3, 14 KOs), 105, wrested the OPBF 105-pound belt from defending titlist Toshikazu Waga (17-4, 6 KOs), 104.5, as he came off the canvas in the opening session and swept almost all rounds thereafter, winning a unanimous decision (117-110 twice and 118-109) over twelve monotonous rounds on Sunday in Nagoya, Japan.

The highly anticipated rematch of WBC#3/WBA#5 Kuroki and WBC#12/WBA#13 Waga (who had once sank the former in the first in 2003) caused such a sensation that hardcore fans gathered from everywhere in Nagoya, the third biggest city located in the center of #1 Tokyo and #2 Osaka. But it reduced to a disappointing disaster. Despite such a good start as Waga decked the southpaw challenger with a vicious left hook in the closing seconds of the opening session, the champ became nothing but a silent shell without throwing punches and with absorbing Kurokifs pit-a-pat combinations all the way.

Whatfs wrong with Waga? What happened to the local hero? He looked sluggish, his balance was terrible and his timing was completely off. Kuroki, not a hard-puncher despite his high KO percentage, could have finished such a poor-conditioned rival, but his lack of convincing power had the crowd watch the monotonous and miserable defeat of the champ. Waga too easily yielded the belt without doing anything but the first round knockdown.

In another title bout, WBC#6/WBA#10 unbeaten Kohei Ohba (23-0-1, 10 KOs), 118, Nagoya, was also a disappointment though he kept his national bantam belt by a well-received majority decision (96-93, 96-94 and 95-95) over former super-fly champ Masaki Kawabata (27-9-2, 17 KOs), 117.75, over ten.

Ohba, who imitated his idol Floyd Mayweather as always, hang his hands low and took a wicked left hook of the shorter challenger, badly hitting the canvas midway in the second. With more aggressiveness, Kawabata would have acquired the second national belt since Ohba was badly wobbled and had a very narrow escape. Probably awaken in the fourth after the unexpected second-round damage, Ohba began to keep sticking flicker jabs all the way though he was occasionally pinned to the ropes. Kawabatafs lack of aggression due to his usual stiffness and nervousness cost the belt. Ohba, vastly talented with good reflexes and lightening speed on hand and foot, hasnft shown any technical improvement in his latest bouts. He may need a good trainer that will teach another style than that of Pretty Boy.

### Undercard:

Fast-rising local southpaw Daiki Koide (12-1-2, 4 KOs), 135.75, displayed busy combinations to overwhelm OPBF#5 Filipino lightweight champ JR Sollano (15-10, 11 KOs), 135.5, and scored a important decision (79-74, 78-74 and 78-75) over eight. Koide is gunning for a shot at Sollanofs stablemate Randy Suicofs OPBF belt. Having been traded to Hatanaka Gym, Shota Hayashi (10-2, 6 KOs), an expected feather at 126, dispatched Big M Or Boonchuay (8-9, 4 KOs), 124.75, from Thailand, with persistent body shots at 2:16 of the second round in a scheduled eight.

Promoter: Hatanaka Promotions.

Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for Koide-Sollano and Hayashi-Or Boonchuay bouts).

(11-16-08)

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