June 15, 2008
KITAKYUSHU, JAPAN
OPBF#15 122-pounder Kazuyoshi Niki (21-3-1, 9 KOs), 121.75, impressively decked a fine victory as he floored Thailander Namphon KT-Gym (8-4, 2 KOs), 122, with a solid right hook in the first and sank him for the count with body bombardments at 0:27 of the third round in a scheduled ten on Sunday in Kitakyushu, Japan.
Namphon, a tall Thailander, fought well though hitting the deck in the initial round, but Niki shifted his target to the breadbasket and finally caught him with persistent body shots in round three, when Namphon sat down to be unable to beat the count. Niki, once annihilated by Filipino ex-WBC fly ruler Malcolm Tunacao, is handled by former WBC feather champ Takashi Koshimoto who had hung up gloves to succeed his fatherfs Fukuoka Gym.
Unbeaten JBC#6 super-fly Kenji Ohba (12-0-2, 8 KOs), 114.75, had a very tough time as he was held to a controversial draw (96-96 twice and 97-95 against him) by Thailandfs Phetromklao O-E Karin (9-5-1, 4 KOs), 115, over ten.
Phetromklao took the initiative from the outset, shaking up the Japanese prospect with straight lefts. The Thailander was in command in the first four rounds, but Ohba started showing his retaliation in the fifth, but again absorbed Phetromklaofs solid lefts to be in trouble in the sixth. Ohba came back hard from the seventh, and barely made it a draw with his last surge though some of ringsiders thought the Thailander had an edge throughout the contest.
Promoter: Fukuoka Promotions.
(6-15-08)