February 25, 2008
TOKYO, JAPAN
Fast-rising left hooker Yukinori Hisanaga (10-2-1, 5 KOs), 119.75, exploded his trademark weapon to deck Japanese #6 super-fly Kenji Saegusa (17-6-1, 9 KOs), 120, in the opening session, and furiously kept swapping punches to be awarded a very hard-fought split verdict (77-76, 77-75 and 76-77) over eight non-stop rounds on Monday in Tokyo, Japan.
The free-swinging Hisanaga, a bright prospect, fully displayed what he had (good power) and what he didn’t have (defensive skills) in the really crowd-pleasing game. The JBC#11 bantam Hisanaga landed a beautifully-timed left hook to drop the aggressive opponent, who raised himself and almost stunned Hisanaga with a revenging left hook in the first session.
Saegusa, a lanky stylish boxer with his strong heart, utilized straight punches to the shorter rival and whipped him with a barrage of punches in the second and third. Since then, it became a see-saw war where Saegusa (who had failed to win the Japanese 115-pound belt from world-rated Kohei Kono) kept peppering, while Hisanaga occasionally retaliated with big shots. Without the stipulated limit of eight rounds, they would have persistently kept battering each other all night. It was fortunate that Hisanaga, the less skillful, was awarded such a hairline decision after the Fight of the Month. If properly coached to improve his defensive skills, Hisanaga may become a threat to Japanese top-notchers with his hard-punching ability and good hand speed.
Japanese #5 bantam Shota Terabatake (17-4, 7 KOs), 117.75, made game and gutsy body-puncher Satoshi Usui (15-15-4, 7 KOs), 117.5, a flattened pancake with his come-from-behind combinations at 2:12 of the seventh rounds in a supporting eight.
Promoter: Kadoebi Jewel Promotions.
(2-25-08)