HASEGAWA TO MAKE A RISKY COMEBACK
Former WBC bantam and feather champ Hozumi Hasegawa (33-5, 15 KOs), 34, will make a comeback against strong criticisms and face unbeaten Mexican, WBC#9 super-bantam Horacio Garcia (29-0, 21 KOs), ten years his junior, in Kobe, Japan, on May 9. It was announced by Shinsei Promotions presided by Masato Yamashita. Asked why he dares to meet such a dangerous youngster, Hasegawa replied, “I don’t like to fight an easy opponent but a strong foe that will test my current power, which will certainly motivate me to work hard.” Having been demolished by Kiko Martinez in quest of the IBF 122-pound belt at stake in April of the previous year, Hasegawa, after a one-year hiatus, will risk his fistic future against the up-and-coming Mexican handled by Canelo Promotions. Take care, ex-champ.
DOI'S FAREWELL TO THE RING
March 17, 2015
TOKYO, JAPAN
A 36-year-old Japanese veteran, formerly a sparring partner of Marco Antonio Barrera in Mexico, Japan’s #5 super-bantam Nobuhisa Coronita Doi (29-15-8, 11 KOs), 122, couldn’t deck his last fight as he hit the deck three times and was very badly knocked out by Filipino southpaw Alie Laurel (13-3, 9 KOs), 121.5, at 1:15 of the third session on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. In Japan there is an age limit enforced by the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) that a boxer equal to or over 37 shouldn’t be allowed to fight here without having been or being national, OPBF or world champion even once. Doi, in May, will celebrate his thirty-seventh birthday, which is a sort of death sentence for the veteran to be forced to hang up gloves for good. Laurel, 23, sent the old soldier sprawling to the canvas twice with a southpaw left and once more with a vicious right hook to score an automatic knockout under the three knockdown rule. Doi made his first crack at the national 122-pound belt against Junichi Watanabe only to be halted in three rounds in 2001?fourteen years ago?and was unsuccessful again to win the super-bantam throne by a technical decision loss to Hidenori Otake in April of 2013. Doi was a durable and game warrior loved by hardcore fans. Sayonara.
INDONESIAN SIGARLAKI SUBSTITUTES FOR AKIYAMA
Japanese and OPBF middleweight titlist Akio Shibata was scheduled to defend his belts against national top contender Yasuyuki Akiyama on this coming March 26, but Akiyama sustained such a bad injury that he won’t be able to participate in his fight of life against the champ Shibata. Watanabe Promotions urgently looked for a substitute for the ill-fated challenger and decided to book Indonesian interim 154-pound titlist Michael Speed Sigarlaki (15-13-2, 13 KOs) in a non-title ten-rounder at the Korakuen Hall. Akiyama was dejected by his own injury, while Shibata was also disappointed to fail to engage in his title defense. Anything can happen outside the ring, too.
(3-19-2015)