January 24, 2008
TOKYO, JAPAN
A charity event to appeal for a release of 70-year-old Iwao Hakamada, a most probably innocent ex-boxer in jail for forty-one years, took place with fourteen ex-world champs in attendance on Thursday at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The ex-champs that attended for free were: current titlists of WBC bantam Hozumi Hasegawa, WBC fly Daisuke Naito and WBA fly Takefumi Sakata; ex-champs of Katsunari Takayama, Hideyuki Ohashi, Kiyoshi Hatanaka, Hideki Todaka, Satoshi Iida, Osamu Sato, Koji Kobayashi, Leopard Tamakuma, Katsuo Tokashiki, Keitaro Hoshino, and Paul Takeshi Fuji.
It was an emotional moment that a video message by Rubin Hurricane Carter from the US was shown on a big screen at the Hall, as Carter strongly said, gFree Hakamada now!h A 74-year-old elder sister Mineko was so much moved by the championsf participations that she was at first unable to continue speaking in the center of the ring before all the champs in line. She expressed her heartfelt thanks for the Japanese boxing fraternity conducting a campaign to collect signatures for a petition.
In the beginning of the event, the defense counsel explained to the crowd that Hakamada should not be guilty. The retired judge who himself had sentenced him to death, Norimichi Kumamoto, now a lawyer, confessed from the ring that he had then believed in his innocence.
Ex-WBA minimum champ Keitaro Hoshino engaged in sparring sessions with WBC#15 ex-OPBF champ Akira Yaegashi, who mercilessly battered the ex-champ for two rounds. WBA flyweight champ Takefumi Sakata also showed a couple of hot sparring sessions with OPBF and national super-fly ruler Kohei Kono. WBC bantam kingpin Hozumi Hasegawa displayed his quick combinations to his trainerfs mitt to entertain the spectators. Then, six ex-world titlists coached young kids in early teens or future champs.
Some 1,000 customers paid 2,000 Yen (some US$18), and some kindly purchased gloves or shirts autographed by the champs at auction. So, an income by this charity show amounted to some $20,000, all of which was donated to the supporting group that has been asking for freedom of Hakamada.
Tonight it was very cold outside of the Hall, but peoplefs hearts were warm inside the Hall thanks to the many ex-champsf participations. Champs, you did a good job, though free.
(1-25-08)