January 10, 2008
OSAKA, JAPAN
Slick-punching southpaw Hozumi Hasegawa (23-2, 7 KOs), 117.75, Japan, successfully retained his WBC bantam belt as he displayed his speed and skills against game and durable Italian challenger Simone Maludrottu (26-2, 9 KOs), 117.5, despite his continual bleeding from the second round on to win a unanimous verdict over twelve gory rounds on Thursday in Osaka, Japan.
It was the main event of a world title twinbill along with the WBA title bout in the same 118-pound category. We could watch and compare both champions, neither of whom showed the best form to disappoint our experts who had expected a higher technical level of their performances.
Veteran judge Duane Ford (US) saw it 117-111, while David Sutherland (US) and Victor Cervantes (Mexico) had it 118-110 and 116-112 respectively, all for the Japanese champ Hasegawa. The third man was Kenny Bayless (US).
The European champ Maludrottu looked so tense and stiff that he didn’t throw punches smoothly in the first four rounds. The open scoring system after the fourth indicated 40-36 twice and 39-37 for Hasegawa. The Japanese lefty, making his fifth defense, easily piled up points in the first four sessions by utilizing his faster combinations to the stationary target. But Hasegawa had a laceration opened allegedly by a legal shot according to the ref’s decision, but a big screen in the arena, after the second round, showed that it was obviously produced by their head-collision. It became a nuisance for Hasegawa in later rounds, as it became widened and kept streaming blood down the cheek.
Maludrottu busily shifted his stance from orthodox to southpaw, back to orthodox and to southpaw again in every session. The 29-year-old Italian, in the fifth, turned loose and kept going forward and stalking the elusive champ to win a point. Maludrottu might try to frustrate Hasegawa, 27, with his repeated switch-hitting, but he might also have frustrated himself, wondering which stance would be more effective against the champ with good reflexes. How many times did the Italian hit the air?
Hasegawa, two years his junior at 27, was in command for five rounds from the sixth, when he connected with left-right countering combinations to the onrushing challenger. In round seven, Maludrottu maintained the pressure on the shifty champ, who landed more effective combinations to the positive Italian. The eighth witnessed Maludrottu sustain a cut on the left eyebrow, which made it a gory affair.
In the eighth and ninth, Hasegawa responded to his challenger’s attack and scored faster, if not more accurate, combinations to the willing mixer. The champ’s combos had the right optic of Maludrottu badly puffed with an accumulation of punishment in the eighth.
The intermediate scores after the eighth were: 79-73 and 78-74 twice, all in favor of the southpaw champ. Hasegawa, in the ninth, had both hands down to move to-and-fro to avert Maludrottu’s combos, and whipped him with quick but less powerful shots to the face and breadbasket.
The eleventh round was obviously won by Maludrottu, who kept stalking the fading champ wherever he moved. The Italian was so aggressive in this round that he won a point and proved that he had good stamina. Hasegawa threw combinations but failed to catch the target with precision.
This reporter gave the final session to Maludrottu, but all three judges saw it for Hasegawa. The Italian remained aggressive to trade solid shots, pinning the champ to the ropes. Hasegawa, with his back to the ropes, kept exchanging punches with the desperate challenger who might be aware of being behind on points. The champ retaliated with faster punches with his back to the ropes, and the judges might see his punches more effective, but yours truly evaluated the volume of Maludrottu’s busier combinations.
Hasegawa had better employ a better cutman, as he kept red ribbon on the cheek all the way from the second. Without blood streaming all night, Hasegawa might have been able to show a better performance. But Hasegawa made a mistake to attempt to counter the Italian without positively attacking first. His wait-and-counter and safety-first strategy didn’t work well, as Maludrottu didn’t absorb much punishment but maintained his fighting spirit until the end.
Maludrottu fought well, though Hasegawa obviously was the victor. Hasegawa should have thrown more southpaw jabs to figure out the challenger and open his tight guard. His strategy couldn’t impress the spectators who came to see his fifth defense, expecting his knockout victory. The champ was never close to having the crowd on its feet, though steadily piling up points. Hasegawa must reflect his lackluster performance tonight, though we celebrate his triumph.
Maludrottu reviewed his fight, saying, “Hasegawa was a good champion. I admit my defeat, but the differences of scores seem a little too big, as I think it was closer than they tallied.” Maludrottu and his big entourage must enjoy the Japanese hospitality and will buy more digital cameras made in Japan. He may leave for Italy, singing “Arrivederci Osaka.”
Promoter: Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions in association with Shinsei Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(1-8-08)