## ARAKAWA, KATO VICTORIOUS; WAKE KEEPS OPBF 122LB BELT; TANAKA FINISHES OMAYAO IN ONE; KAWABATA, MARUKI FAIL TO WIN WBC YOUTH BELTS

July 27, 2014

TOKYO, JAPAN

Japanese lightweight champ Yoshitaka Kato (28-5-1, 9 KOs), 135, impressively kept his national belt as he badly dropped ex-WBC youth champ Tsukasa Saito (19-3, 14 KOs), 135, in the fourth and accelerated his persistent attack to prompt the refereefs intervention at 1:13 of the eighth round in a scheduled ten on Wednesday (July 23) in Tokyo, Japan. Kato, a shaven skulled boxer-puncher, accurately penetrated Saitofs loose guard with a solid left-right combination to hurt him so effectively that the loser absorbed much punishment as the contest progressed. Kato made his seventh successful defense to his credit. In a companion ten, WBC#7 lightweight southpaw Nihito Arakawa (25-4-1, 16 KOs), 136, was awarded a close but unanimous verdict (96-95, 97-94, 98-92) over grudge rival and ex-national titlist Akihiro Kondo (19-4-1, 8 KOs), 136.25, over ten.

On Monday (July 21), in Okayama, OPBF 122-pound champ, WBA#4/WBC#5/WBO#9/IBF#10 Shingo Wake (17-4-2, 10 KOs), 121.75, had a tough time coping with OPBF top contender and Korean titlist Jaesung Lee (17-4-2, 9 KOs), 121.5, but finally knocked him out of the ropes in round nine and then halted him at 0:27 of the tenth round. In such an overheated atmosphere of Joey Maxim being awarded a TKO win over the dehydrated Sugar Ray Robinson in New York, Wake, a lefty speedster, failed to show his potential hand speed only to mix it up with the gusty but limited Korea to put on a see-saw battle before he connected with desperate combinations to have him reeling out of the lowest ropes to the ring apron late in the ninth. Lee had no more energy left to go on to be duly stopped by the referee Fukuchi. In a supporting ten for the vacant WBC youth super-fly belt, Japanfs Ryotaro Kawabata (10-2-1, 4 KOs), 114.75, and Filipino Rene Dacquel (11-3-1, 3 KOs), 115, showed a grueling give-and-take combat en route to a well-received split draw (95-93, 93-95, 94-94) over ten. Both repeatedly took the opponentfs best shots to make the crowd feel as if they watched a couple of battles in terms of their absorption of punishment.

On Sunday (July 20), WBA#13 minimum, ex-national high school champ, OPBF#2 Kosei Tanaka (3-0, 1 KO), 105, needed just 1:55 of the opening session to dispose of OPBF#3 ranked Filipino national champ Crison Omayao (16-8-2, 4 KOs), 104.75, in a scheduled ten in Nagoya. Tanakafs very solid right cross exploded at the chin of the poor Filipino, who was completely destructed as soon as the game started. The sensational 19-year-old rookie is entitled to have a mandatory shot at the OPBF ruler, unbeaten and highly world-rated Ryuji Hara this fall. It is a fun to watch this sensational kidfs growth under ex-WBC super-bantam champ Kiyoshi Hatanakafs management. He hopes to make Tanaka win a world throne within ten pro bouts.

On Sunday (July 20), in Kariya (twenty minutes from Nagoya), Japanfs Ryosuke Maruki (7-3-1, 5 KOs), 154, was unsuccessful to win the WBC youth super-welter belt from Thailandfs Petchsuriya Singwangcha (11-8-1, 5 KOs), dropping a majority decision (96-94 twice, 95-95) over ten. Ryosuke, a son of ex-WBA junior lightweight challenger and manager/trainer Takao Maruki (who failed to win the belt from Samuel Serrano in 1978), fought well but his continual nose-bleeding kept him from retaliating more to overcome his early deficits on points. Petchsuriya is one of sixteen siblings (all of whom are boxers) under his father/manager/trainer Nopparit Yoohanngoh like Papa Maruki, who wishes to stage an avenging rematch after a tune-up bout for his son. This reporter asked Papa Nopparit, gIn Aisa, there are some examples of having more than ten children with some wives, but with how many wives did you produce sixteen children?h The father, 48, who manages his boxing gym in Bangkok replied, gWith only one wife.h Oh, you are superman, while your wife is also a super lady. He affirms that all sons and daughters are boxers, including an active female campaigner Chuthaporn Pradissan.

(7-27-2014)

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