July 06, 2008
TAKASAGO, JAPAN
WBC#13 ex-Japanese bantam champ Masayuki Mitani (23-2, 10 KOs), 120.25, kept jabbing and positively mixing up with WBA#8 ex-world challenger Nobuto Ikehara (27-3, 19 KOs), 120.25, but suffered a bad gash over the left optic to be awarded a technical decision (all 58-57) after the sixth round in a scheduled ten on Sunday in Takasago, Japan.
It was a sensational encounter all fight fans eagerly wished to know the result. Ikehara had failed to win the WBA belt, losing a hard-fought unanimous nod to then champ Wladimir Sidorenko (who lately forfeited his throne to Anselmo Moreno this May) in Osaka last January. Mitani also had tasted a bitter setback, losing his national 118-pound belt to unbeaten Kohei Ohba via close verdict in the challenger’s home-turf Nagoya this February.
The taller jabber Mitani utilized his advantageous reach in outjabbing the willing mixer Ikehara, who kept going forward to swap punches in the close quarter. Mitani, however, was more accurate in exchanging short punches in mix-ups to score a little more points than the game infighter. Mitani hopes to avenge his previous loss to Ohba to regain his Japanese title even if he goes back to Nagoya. It will materialize in Ohba’s mandatory defense now that Mitani will have a priority as the official challenger thanks to this victory over highly regarded Ikehara.
Japanese top super-light contender Akihito Nishio (13-3-2, 8 KOs), 140, impressively floored Hideaki Nakamoto (2-1, 1 KO), 140, ex-amateur boy, twice prior to the referee’s intervention at 0:07 of the seventh in a scheduled eight. Nishio moved up atop in the JBC ratings because of his upset split duke over ex-JBC/OPBF challenger Daigoro Yamamoto last October.
Promoter: Takasago Promotions.
(7-6-08)
July 6, 2008
KARIYA, JAPAN
JBC#9 super-bantam Hiromasa Ohashi (16-8-3, 10 KOs), 121, came off the canvas in the first, and decked Thailander Yodchanchai Sishsoei (7-5, 1 KO), 121.5, in the third, fourth and fifth and finally sent him prone in agony with a wicked body shot at 1:02 of the fifth round in a scheduled ten on Sunday in Kariya, Japan. The Thailander fought well to impress the audience, but Ohashi displayed sharp jabs and persistent body bombardments to weaken him effectively and finally make a flattened pancake.
Welter Masanari Iida (6-1, 5 KOs), 147, earned a nearly shutout decision over Thai #5 welter Yodsaksith Muangsurin (9-11, 6 KOs), 146.75, over six. Iida is piloted by ex-WBA 105-pound champ Keitaro Hoshino. In Japan almost all ex-world champs stay in the boxing fraternity as club-owners, managers or trainers, so we haven’t heard any miserable story of former heroes struggling to lead a life like in other countries. If you come and see fights here in Japan, you can see such greats as Harada, Numata, Kobayashi (Hiroshi and Royal), Shibata, Wajima, Oguma, Hanagata, Gushiken, Tokashiki, Tomori, Hamada, Ioka, Ohashi, Tamakuma, Hatanaka, etc. This reporter is too tired to list up all the names of the 57 world champs ever produced here. They are all fine and that’s very good.
Promoter: Heiwa Promotions. (Heiwa means “peace” in Japanese)
(7-6-08)