KAYAMA CAPTURES JAPANESE WELTER TITLE BY 8TH ROUND TKO OF NAKAHARA

JAPANESE WELTERWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
TOSHIHARU KAYAMA TKO 8 MAKOTO NAKAHARA

Jun 23, 1998 TOKYO--Korakuen Hall--Unbeaten but unheralded TOSHIHARU KAYAMA, 147, impressively captured the Japanese national welter throne, as he outboxed and outpunched the defending champ MAKOTO NAKAHARA, 147, with effective right crosses and right uppercuts, made him a bloody mess and inflicted a TKO win at 1:23 of the 8th session in a scheduled 10. The upset triumph bettered his mark to 10-0-1, 5 KOs. Nakahara, making his 3rd defense, fell to 10-3-2, 4 KOs. Scored after the 7th: 69-65, 69-66 and 68-67, all for Kayama. In the 8th, Kayama landed a countering right and dropped the gory champ. Ref Ken Morita had the champ's bad gash examined by the ring physician, who recommended a halt.

TOSHIHARU KAYAMA

Nakahara fought Minoru Horiuchi for the vacant welter title here in Jan. of the previous year. It was at first declared a technical draw due to Nakahara's bleeding, but the JBC resversed the verdict to a TKO win in favor of Horiuchi after viewing the videotape to call Horiuchi interim champ and ordered a rematch. In a grudge fight Nakahara became the champ by winning a close decision over the hard-hitting Horiuchi in May. Since then, Nakahara kept his national diadem twice by beating Shinji Saeki in Aug. and Teruo Nagase last Feb. He was a prefight favorite owing to his superior experience to the upcoming but untested prospect Kayama. From the start Kayama displayed good speed and landed solid and sharp right crosses to the crouching stylist. Kayama opened a gash on the right eybebrow of the champ with legal shots to make it a big handicap for Nakahara. The shorter champ attempted to cut off the ring and score body shots to the fleet-footed upright stylist, but in vain. Nakahara looked to dominate the 4th and 7th, but Kayama took all other rounds with his accurate punches to the onrushing champ. Kayama, in the 6th, connected with a well-timed right to the champ's face and dropped him sprawling to the deck. As his face was covered with profuse crimson, the third man had him checked by the ringside physician, who advised the ref to call a halt. It was an upset result, but Kayama was obviously a better boxer this night despite the champ's indomitable spirit.

MAKOTO NAKAHARA

UNDERCARDS:

A semi-final 10 saw Hiroshi Nakajima, an unbeaten powder-puff puncher, 105 1/4, earned a shutout decision over low-spirited Filipino Roy Clave, 105 1/2, over 10. Scored: double 100-96 and 100-92, all for Nakajima, 11-0, just a KO. Clave reportedly dropped to 18-7-1, 5 KOs.

This bout was a strong candidate for Dullest Fight of the Year. They didn't mix up, but missed a few punches because they threw few blows. Clave was tremendously slower than in his previous showings, having lost 5 times in as many bouts. He lost to Satoru Abe, Hidenobu Honda, Kenichi Hirayama, and Wolf Tokimitsu on points, and was stopped by Takato Toguchi in 5 rounds in his last performance last Dec. Clave might have left his fighting spirit in Manila. Nakajima also looked poor as he seldom hit in combination, and paid too much respect to such a mediocre and negative Filipino as Clave. It was a really dull fight, so this reporter, as well as the crowd, had to endure watching this lousy fight for 10 rounds.

Yoshihiro Yamamoto, 129, floored Korean Heechul Yang, 129, with a right shot in the opening canto, and was awarded a TKO win due to the tremendously onesided proceedings at 1:08 of the 3rd round in a scheduled 8. The winner upped his mark to 9-2, 4 KOs. The loser fell to 14-5-1, 6 KOs. It looked like a mismatch, as Yang was no match for the aggressive Japanese.
Promoter: Yokohama Sakura Promotions.
(6-23-98)

Jun 21, 1998 KURASHIKI--Sanyo Heights Gymnasium--The OPBF mini-fly champ WOLF TOKIMITSU, 106 3/4, kept punching a Filipino left hooker named KID PAYES, 106, winning a shutout decision (dual 100-93 and 100-92) in a non-title 10. Tokimitsu, who had captured the OPBF title from Indonesian Nico Thomas in his previous bout, is 11-2, 5 KOs. Payes reportedly dropped to 9-7, 2 KOs.	WOLF TOKIMITSU
Undercards: Kazunori Fujita, 129 1/2, ran his unbeaten mark to 6-0, 4 KOs, by scoring a shutout decision over Filipino Gil Lipata, 128, over 8. Lipata reportedly impaired to 15-10, 11 KOs.	Kazunori Fujita
JBC #8 superfly Takayuki Akazawa, 114 1/2, unanimously decisioned Toshinobu Nakatani, 115, over 8. Promoter: Okayama Moriyasu Promotions. (6-21-98)	Takayuki Akazawa

June 21
HIROSHIMA--Hiroshima Prefectural Gymnasium--JBC #1 ranked lightie Masaaki Morooka, 134, showed his strength against a less experienced Hiroshi Mae, 134 3/4, and chalked up a TKO win at 2:36 of the 5th round in a scheduled 10. Morooka raised his ledger to 17-3, 7 KOs. Mae fell to 7-5, 4 KOs.

Morooka landed heavier jabs with precision to hurt the local favorite. As the contest progressed, it became such a lopsided affair that referee Kuwata declared a well-received halt diespite no knockdowns.

Comebacking Wataru Yamaji, 111 3/4, looked impressive after an 11-month layoff, as he outpunched Katsuhiko Yoshikai, 111 3/4, effectively and finally caught him with a short right to drop him en route to a fine TKO win at 0:38 into the 6th of the first 10. Yamaji stopped his losing run for two years, having been defeated by Hiroshi Kobayashi, Takayuki Akazawa and Katsuhiro Akita. Yamaji, a local prospect, is 9-4-2, 7 KOs. Yoshikai fell to 13-8-2, a KO. Promoter: Saburo Takehara (ex-WBA middle champ Shinji Takehara's father).
(6-21-98)

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