## WORLD TWINBILL TOMORROW

### Preview of the doubleheader

June 11, 2008

TOKYO, JAPAN

We look forward to watching a sensational twinbill titled gThe Real: World Premium Boxing #6h with world belts on the line tomorrow (Thursday) in Tokyo, Japan. There was a weigh-in ceremony today, where all the contestants successfully made the weight at their first trip on the scale.

WBA super-feather champ Edwin Valero (23-0, 23 KOs) tipped the beam at 129.75 pounds, a quarter under the class limit, as his Japanese challenger Takehiro Shimada (22-3-1, 15 KOs) scaled. WBC bantam ruler Hozumi Hasegawa (23-2, 7 KOs) weighed in at 117.5, while his Uruguayan challenger Cristian Faccio (15-2, 10 KOs) a quarter pound heavier at 117.75.

## PREVIEW ON VALERO-SHIMADA TITLE BOUT

The southpaw KO artist Velero, of course, is a prohibitive favorite against the 36-year-old Japanese veteran Shimada, who, however, has been unbeaten for seven years since 2001. Valero coolly said, gI am superior to Shimada on four points: (1) punching power, (2) physical strength, (3) will power and (4) youth (Valero is ten years his junior at 26). I know all Japanese boxers have a strong heart. He also may merit a hometown advantage, but Ifve improved well with my new coach Kenny Adams strenuously training me in Las Vegas for more than three months.h

Valero is already slated to appear in Texas this fall (most probably in September) after his previous three first-round demolitions over Emmanuel Ford, Roque Cassiani and Tomas Zambrano in California, all in 2003. For Valero, his fourth defense may be a tune-up go prior to his US campaign where he is eager after bigger fame and fortune. But is Shimada an easy victim? Valerofs manager/promoter Akihiko Honda looks optimistic and pessimistic as well, saying, gShimada is an intelligent boxer with good experience. Though I believe Valero will overpower and overwhelm him sooner or later, he may take more time to catch and finish Shimada than people expect.h

While Valero highly trusts on Kenny Adams, Shimada also vastly relies on his trainer, ex-three time world champ Kuniaki Shibata (who had dethroned Vicente Saldivar, Ben Villaflor and Rene Arredondo in 1970fs). It is said Shibata, the southpaw killer, has delivered his know-how to defeat the formidable champ Valero. Shimada is a smart boxer-puncher who sometimes utilizes his footwork to outmaneuver an aggressive puncher, while sometimes tries to forcibly mix up with a technician. But will he cope with Valerofs speed, power and busy punching? Even with Shimadafs intelligence, it may be more difficult to outsmart Valero than to solve a mathematical problem.

## PREVIEW ON HASEGAWA-FACCIO TITLE BOUT

WBC bantam kingpin Hasegawa, making his sixth defense, is a very excellent southpaw from the technical point of view. Since he upset defending champ Veeraphol Nakhornluang-Promotion Sahaprom by a hard-fought unanimous decision in 2005, the fast-punching and quick-moving champ defeated Gerardo Martinez (TKO 7), Veeraphol in a rematch (TKO 9), official challenger Genaro Garcia (W12, unanimous), elongated South African Simpiwe Vetyeka (W12, unanimous) and official challenger from Italy, Simone Maludrottu (W12, unanimous) to his credit.

Though Hasegawa may be one of the most skillful boxer among the seven world champs reigning here in Japan (Niida, Naito, Sakata, Kobori, Linares, Valero and himself), he eagerly wishes to have higher evaluation and greater popularity than now. What will he need to attain his object? A more overwhelming triumph than previously, or a victory by a spectacular knockout (as he brilliantly displayed in the Veeraphol rematch)?

The Uruguayan challenger Faccio is quite unknown to our aficionados as for his style and strength, but has compiled a good mark by stopping ten victims out of fifteen wins, including a decision over Sergio Victor Caruso in acquiring the WBC Latino 118-pound belt last August. On viewing his previous fights on films, this reporter can say Faccio is a rough-and-tumble puncher with good power but a suspect chin. He sometimes suffered careless visits to the canvas even in his previous come-from-behind victories, which may indicate his recuperative power and will power as well.

Hasegawa is a prefight favorite with his experience and skill. He already surpassed Fighting Haradafs record of four defenses in keeping the world bantam belt, but it might be beyond comparison since Harada dethroned legendary Eder Jofre, defeated Jofre in a rematch and his previous conqueror Jose Medel, European champ Alan Rudkin and Colombian hero Bernardo Caraballo in the good old 1960fs. Hasegawa, however, is a modern and more technical boxer than Harada as he is such a type as smartly hits without getting hit. It might be too much to require Haradafs tremendous heart and stamina from any Japanese boxer of today.

Should Faccio upset Hasegawa, he will be the first world champ out of Uruguay. In many Latin American countries that produced outstanding world champs, Uruguay is an exception as boxing is much less popular than basketball. The most famous boxer from Uruguay was Alfredo Evangelista who once had an ambitious crack at Muhammad Alifs crown only to lose a lopsided decision in Landover, Maryland, US in 1977. In the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964, our bantam gold medalist Takao Sakurai, in a semi-final, defeated Washington Rodriguez, from Uruguay, who gained a bronze medal.

Faccio boldly predicts his coronation by an upset, though we wonder what makes him so confident. He says, gIfll keep aggressive all the way and wonft allow Hasegawa to escape from my attack. Ifll keep punching.h If so, Hasegawa may keep dancing all night to avert Facciofs aggression and keep countering him with his trade-mark combination. It may be an interesting encounter of a southpaw counterpuncher (Hasegawa) and a reckless puncher (Faccio), but Hasegawafs advantage on speed, skills and versatility of combination punching will pay off, if not by a win by a stoppage or a knockout that the Japanese lefty strongly aims for.

This world twinbill is presented by Akihiko Hondafs Teiken Promotions.

(6-11-08)

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