Jan. 27, 1998
TOKYO--Lefty speedster SHIN YAMATO, 118, was bloodied badly by repeated
accidental butts, but outsped and outpunched the defending champ JIRO
MATSUSHIMA, also a lefty at 118, and was awarded a split but
well-received technical decision at 2:42 of the 7th session in a
scheduled 10. Scored: Abe and Uchida both 58-57 for Yamato, and Harada
59-58 for Matsushima. Yamato, a less powerful but very fast prospect,
is still 22, and raised his mark to 12-1-3, 2 KOs. Matsushima, a harder
hitter, failed to catch the elusive opponent, and dipped to 17-4-1, 10
KOs.
It was the first card in the annual Carnival of Champions of this year here with some 2,400 fans in attendance at Korakuen Hall. In the 1st, the champ caught the challenger with southpaw left crosses, but Yamato made good use of his speed and scored with sharp one-two combinaitons. Yamato, piloted by Akihiko Honda, took the 2nd with faster jabs and right-left combos. The 3rd saw a collision of heads happen. Yamato began to bleed from a gash at the top of the forehead with his right side of the face in crimson. Matsushima attempted to come close to the taller foe, but Yamato occasionally landed well-timed but less powerful shots and appeared to be ahead on points. When an accidental butt happened twice midway in the 7th and Yamato started bleeding from other cuts, referee Ken Morita had them examined by the ringside physician and decided to stop the gory affair then and score on the cards.
They graduated from the same alama mater, Yokohama High School. Matsushima, 4 years his senior at 26, previously failed to win the vacant national jr. bantam title via a 8th-round KO route by the current WBA 115-pound champ in 1994. Matsushima then moved up to the 118-pound division and won the then vacant national bantam throne, beating Yasushi Arai in the previous year. Yamato, whose father Shinya Yamato had been Japan's #7 ranked flyweight contender, is a prospect who recently showed a rapid progress. If the 5'8 1/2" Yamato gains his physical power by outgrowing the 118-pound division, he will have a bright future as he has a strong chin despite his skinny appearance. Since it was a hard-fought close affair, the ex-champ Matsushima deserves a rematch, which Honda, manager of the new champ, promised to take place soon after Yamato's recovery from very nasty cuts.
Ex-amateur hard-puncher Toshiharu Kanayama, 154, floored Teruyuki
Takayama, 152, twice with heavy rights in the fatal session to stop him
at 2:11 of the 4th canto in a scheduled 8. Kanayama, whose style looked
like a previous Lennox Lewis, hit hard without properly leading with
left jabs, is 2-0, a KO. Takayama, who retaliated well to take the 2nd
round, fell to 5-2-1, a KO. their difference of physique was obvious
enough, because the loser was a legitimate welterweight boy.
Promoter: Yonekura Promotions.
ISMAEL SALAS, Cuban trainer having lived in Thailand for years, decided to come and reside in Japan to coach Japanese boxers at Kadoebi Boxing Club in Tokyo. Salas, with his good reputation as trainer, cultivated and produced 5 world champs in Thailand--Phichit Sithbangprachan, Saen Sow Ploenchit, Daorung MP Petroleum (AKA Daorung Chor Siriwat), Yokthai Sith-Oar, and Phichit Chor Siriwat, all of whom, however, recently lost their titles. He will train young ex-amateur boys at the Kadoebi Gym. We hope Ismael will give good influence to our boxing fraternity.