January 5, 2008
TOKYO, JAPAN
WBC#7/WBA#7 super-feather Yusuke Kobori (22-2-1, 11 KOs), 129.75, a rugged puncher, barely kept his national 130-pound belt by earning a close but unanimous nod (97-96, 96-95 and 98-93) over mandatory challenger Hiroyasu Matsuzaki (17-2, 8 KOs), 130, an intelligent Waseda University graduate, over ten on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Kobori had previously served as a sparring partner for Marco Antonio Barrera, Edwin Valero and Jorge Linares, but his good experience in the US and Mexico didn’t help him easily defend his belt. Matsuzaki, though overpowered and outhustled, occasionally landed well-timed rights to the formidable champ to make it a close affair. Kobori displayed his last surge to dominate the final stanza to confirm his hairline defense of the belt.
OPBF top ranked Filipino flyweight champ Jojo Bardon (23-10-2, 10 KOs), 113.25, stunned the crowd at the Korakuen Hall with his blitzkrieg, dropping Japanese hard-punching prospect Yuki Nasu (14-3, 11 KOs), 114, twice prior to the referee’s intervention at 2:08 of the opening session in a supporting ten. Bardon, ex-OPBF champ dethroned by current champ Masaharu Naganawa, landed a wicked left hook to deck his opponent, and sent him sprawling to the canvas again with a flurry of punches. As the Filipino swamed over him, the third man declared a halt to save the groggy loser.
Promoter: Kadoebi Jewel Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for the Bardon-Nasu bout).
(1-5-08)