This is a disgraceful scandal that has happened here in Japan. YOSUKEZAN NISHIJIMA, the cruiserweight champ of the OPBF (Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation) ranked #8 by the WBC, is the boxer in the center. The JBC (Japan Boxing Commission) just affiliates the WBA and the WBC to maintain the quality control of the world championship. No world champs of the IBF, WBO, WBF, IBO, IBC, etc. are allowed to fight under the permission of the JBC. Nishijima acquired the vacant WBF 190-pound title by winning a unanimous decision over Brian Laspada in Las Vegas on July 11 of the previous year. It was the beginning of this scandal.
Osamu Watanabe, manager of Nishijima, has cultivated an amateur ex-baseball player into one of the most popular ringmen in Japan. We have many excellent boxers in smaller divisions. But Nishijima is the one who fights heavyweight or cruiserweight opponents. As a rare existence, he became well-known among our fight aficionados. Truly did he improve steadily and properly. Nishijima, now 18-1, 12 KOs, fought in Japan as well as in the US to display his gain in power and progress in speed. Nishijima acquired the vacant OPBF 190-pound champ by stopping Australian Peter Kinsella in the 3rd in Kyoto, Japan, with me as matchmaker, in Oct., 1996. Nishijima was originally scheduled to challenge the then OPBF champ Phil Gregory, Australia, who unfortunately suffered a hand fracture to be unable to fight Nishijima as scheduled. Since Gregory was expected to take time to recover from the unexpected injury, he accepted renouncing his OPBF title under the condition that the winner of the OPBF #1 contender Kinsella and #2 Nishijima should meet Gregory upon his recovery. I urged Watanabe to keep the gentleman's agreement with the ex-champ Gregory, but the greedy manager tried to book his golden boy Nishijima for an unreasonably high purse. No Japanese promoters were able to respond to Watanabe's ridiculous offer for his first defense of the newly-acuired OPBF title, so Nishijima remained inactive for a while. When I heard that the ex-champ Gregory left Australia by abandoning his promised opportunity to fight Nishijima, I, as coordinator and matchmaker, felt very sorry to Gregory due to Watanabe's breach of his agreement.
After Nishijima and Watanabe returned from the US with the WBF's belt, they had to confront the JBC's refusal to recognize him as the world champ. The JBC told Watanabe to select either of the OPBF or the WBF titles. The stupid Watanabe once attempted to file a lawsuit with the JBC to make our Commission to allow Nishijima to hold both titles. Meanwhile, Tetsuo Adachi, promoter in Osaka, planned to book Nishijima in Nitakyushu, a northern place in Japan, ballyhooing his OPBF title defense. I was asked by Adachi to find a suitable challenger against Nishijima. Of course, I tried to book Phil Gregory, but as I knew he was unavailable any longer, I finally decided to book New Zealand's Lightning Lupe. Furthermore, this bout was postponed until Dec. 20. Then, there happened a dispute between Nishijima and Watanabe. On Nov. 19, Nishijima sent a letter to Watanabe to declare that he would become independent of his management. On the next day, the promoter Adachi came up to Tokyo to talk with Nishijima directly and tried to persuade him to fight a single OPBF title defense and then become free from any obligations in the future. Nishijima was stubborn enough to reject his persuasion. Nishijima, however, announced to the JBC that he would not like to belong to Watanabe's gym and campaign in the US without taking a Japanese license from 1998 on. Adachi logically became furious, as he processed his promotion by contacting a local promoter in Kitakyushu, Masao Takahashi, after Adachi confirmed Nishijima's participation in the OPBF title defense there from both Watanabe and Nishijima. Adachi made a strong protest against the betrayal of both Watanabe and Nishijima, because Takahashi had already sold tickets of Nishijima's title bout at his place.
As for me, I contacted Adachi to ask him to compensate the training expense of Lightning Lupe who had been training for months prior to a sudden notice of a cancellation. Though it took time, I finally confirmed Adachi sending the promised money to the manager of Lupe, Brian Brij. Nishijima has not defended his OPBF title even once since he acquired it in Oct., 1996. Even if he is like a treasure of our boxing fraternity, we have to keep our common sense. In my personal opinion, the OPBF should strip Nishijima of his OPBF cruiser title and the WBC should drop him out of the top 10 or out of the top 30. It is no use crying over spilt milk, and also no use discussing over the managerial problem from outside. Watanabe and Nishijima may both have reasons to insist on their justice. But a boxer must fight, and a manager must manage the boxer. Each failed to do their duty. We may lose a talent in Nishijima, or Nishijima may fight abroad from now on. But the discrepancy between Watanabe and Nishijima was an ugly example.