## NASHIRO BUSY SPARRING

July 17, 2008

TOKYO, JAPAN

Ex-WBA super-fly champ, currently WBA#1 Nobuo Nashiro (11-1, 7 KOs) will square off against WBA#3 ex-OPBF titlist Kohei Kono (21-3, 7 KOs), in a quest for the vacant WBA 115-pound belt on a world title tripleheader promoted by Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions in Tokyo, Japan, on September 15.

Nashiro, who once dethroned then WBA titlist Martin Castillo via tenth-round stoppage in 2006, has been busy sparring with such outstanding Japanese boxers as WBC flyweight champ Daisuke Naito, WBA 112-pounde ruler Takefumi Sakata, WBC challenger Tomonobu Shimizu (who will challenge Naito), WBA challenger Hiroyuki Hisataka (who will have an ambitious shot against Sakata on the same bill).

The WBA top 115-pound contender Nashiro lately had sparring sessions with all the champs and challengers of the forthcoming WBC and WBA flyweight twinbill on this coming July 30. Asked who was the strongest, ex-world champ Nashiro replied, gSakata showed his incredible stamina in sparring with me, and I think he has the best condition among them. All sparring sessions (four rounds with Naito, eight with Sakata, six with Shimizu and also six with Hisataka) were good enough for my own training.h

The influential promoter Honda highly expects Nashiro and Kono to show a good and competitive performance before a huge crowd in a bid for the vacant WBA super-fly belt in the final elimination bout sanctioned by the WBA. He said, gThe newly crowned champ, Nashiro or Kono, may make his initial defense against the winner of #4 AJ Banal and #6 Rafael Concepcion who will fight on July 26.h

Honda, the promoter/manager of a couple of Venezuelan world champs (WBC feather kingpin Jorge Linares and WBA super-feather ruler Edwin Valero), will present a sensational world title tripleheader on September 15, featuring the WBA minimum mandatory title bout of Yutaka Niida and Roman Gonzalez, the WBC interim super-bantam title go between Toshiaki Nishioka and Napapol Kiatisakchokchai, along with the Nashiro-Kono final elimination bout. Honda vigorously runs as fast as a Honda car.

(7-17-08)

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