January 27, 2008
KANAZAWA, JAPAN
WBC#6 ranked Japan-based Filipino Rolly “Matsushita” Lunas (25-6-1, 14 KOs), 117.5, successfully kept his OPBF bantamweight belt as he exploded strong rights to floor OPBF#2 Indonesian champ Aldo Hummer (12-4-1, 6 KOs), 117.75, twice so badly that the referee promptly declared a quick but well-received halt at 2:31 of the first round on Sunday in Kanazawa, Japan.
Lunas, making his third defense since dethroning Malcolm Tunacao last April, showed an opening attack to which Aldo gamely responded with solid punches. The Indonesian had iced then OPBF#8 Kazuyuki Ichikawa in the first session of his previous bout in Tokyo, and wished to collect another victim and the OPBF throne as well. But the hard-hitting champ caught the Indonesian with a very effective right, which made him fall forward on the deck. Barely regaining the feet, Aldo resumed fighting only to go down again on all fours with the champ’s follow-up assault. The ref Dongahn Park saw it enough and promptly raised Lunas’ arm. Lunas had finished Japanese national champ Masayuki Mitani in the final session with his OPBF belt on the line last August, and thus admirably registered three defenses all by knockout. Lunas is willing to make an ambitious crack at the WBC crown against Hozumi Hasegawa here in Japan. Lunas previously had an apparent flaw, his lack of stamina in later rounds, but after being traded to Kashimi Gym in Japan, he overcame the defect and rapidly improved with his hard training here.
OPBF#10 Futa Nakagishi (13-2-1, 6 KOs), 123.25, decked an important victory by winning a unanimous decision (100-92 twice and 97-93) over OPBF#3 ex-Philippine 122-pound ruler Jake Verano (18-10-2, 9 KOs), 122.25, by a unanimous decision (100-92 twice and 97-93) over ten give-and-take heats. Nakagishi, a youngster who had lost a unanimous decision to OPBF champ Wethya Sakmuangklaeng with the Thailander’s regional belt at stake, is gunning for a second shot to revenge himself on the champ Wethya (87-4, 52 KOs), if he experiences two or three more bouts against such name opponents as Verano.
Unbeaten JBC#6 lightweight prospect Yasuhiro Kawabata (11-0, 8 KOs), 134.5, impressively disposed of Sua Tor. Rodmanee (7-5, 3 KOs), 132, as he decked the Thailander once in the first and three times more for an automatic KO at 2:50 of the third in a scheduled ten.
Japan-based Filipino Joel Consulta (17-2, 9 KOs), 125.25, sank Thai #4 super-feather Thongchai Por. Pratompong (7-5, 2 KOs), 124.5, in agony with a wicked body shot at 2:27 of the fifth round in a scheduled ten. Thongchai, however, once floored the winner on the deck with a left hook, though the referee ignored it to call it a slip.
Promoter: Kashimi Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi (as for the aforementioned four bouts).
(1-27-08)