April 20, 2011
TOKYO, JAPAN
WBC#12 OPBF super-light champ Motoki Sasaki (36-8-1, 23 KOs), 139.5, kept his regional belt as he came off the canvas in the second and halted top-ranked Korean titlist Pansoo Kim (11-2-1, 7 KOs), 139.5, with a flurry of punches to prompt the referee’s intervention at 2:43 of the fifth round on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan. The 35-year-old veteran had dethroned Filipino Randy Suico last year and successfully made his second defense against Kim, eleven years his junior.
OPBF middle ruler Koji Sato (19-1, 17 KOs), 163.75, floored Indonesian Ade Alfons (14-13-3, 4 KOs), 163.25, three times en route to a quick demolition at 2:35 of the opening session in a scheduled ten. Sato’s belt wasn’t at stake.
Japan-based Venezuelan middleweight Carlos Linares (8-1, 7 KOs), 160, needed just 116 seconds to stop Hiroshi Ohashi (7-6, 3 KOs), 158.75, in a scheduled eight. The six-footer Carlos is the younger brother of former world champ Jorge Linares who is gunning for a shot to regain his throne.
Promoter: Teiken Promotions.
Matchmaker; Joe Koizumi (as for Sasaki-Kim and Sato-Alfons bouts).
(4-20-11)