July 9, 1999
TOKYO, JAPAN-WBA #6 ranked flyweight contender PANIENG "OKUDA"
POONTARAT(right photo), an unbeaten import from Thailand, 115, engaged in his third
bout here, and showed his superior speed and skill in outpunching WBA
#14 ranked fly TAKUYA KIYA, 115, en route to a unanimous decision over
10.
It became more onesided than our ringsiders had expected. Panieng's left-right combination was too fast and sharp for Kiya who had entered the WBA's top ten thanks to his upset victory over the then world-rated Randy Mangbut this February.
The stylish Thailander easily piled up points in every round, but he made a mistake in his attempt to finish his hard-hitting opponent, losing his stamina in later rounds.
Kiya showed his heart by stalking the fading foe from pillar to post, taking the 8th. Panieng took back the initiative in the 9th, but the 10th went to Kiya who displayed his last surge.
Scored: 98-95 twice, and 98-96, all for Panieng, who raised his ledger to 24-0, 10 KOs. Kiya fell to 14-3-1, 10 KOs.
Remarks: It is strange that the WBA has not reflected Kiya's upset defeat by Masamori Tokuyama last Apr. and has kept Kiya still in the top ten by neglecting Tokuyama. Tokuyama is an upcoming speedster who will be well-matched with Panieng, the younger brother of ex-WBC super-fly champ Payao Poontarat.
HIROYUKI MAEDA TKO7R SATORU HIGASHIJBC #1 ranked super-light HIROYUKI MAEDA(left photo), 140, cleverly outjabbed ex-two time Olympian SATORU HIGASHI, 140, and bloodied him so badly as to prompt the referee's stoppage at 2:10 of the 7th round in a semi-final 10.
Maeda, ex-Japanese light champ, failed to win the national super-light throne from WBA #4 ranked Junichi Ono last Apr., as Ono rode a bicycle all night to outmaneuver the more aggressive but less accurate Maeda. But Higashi appeared after a long inactivity for 20 months, so Maeda was simply too fast for the hard-hitting ex-Olympian.
The 5'10" Maeda almost stunned him with a vicious left hook in the 2nd, and swept all rounds with his persistent jabs. Higashi began to bleed from a gash opened in the 2nd. The 7th saw Higashi sustain another cut on the left eyebrow with his whole face in crimson.
It's logical the JBC physician advised a stoppage to the referee Uratani then and there.
Maeda bettered his mark to 18-6-2, 12 KOs. Higashi impaired to 8-3, 6 KOs.
ATSUSHI HAGIWARA TKO8R TAKASHI MIURAJBC #1 ranked ATSUSHI HAGIWARA(right photo), 124 1/2, proved too busy and pugnacious for TAKASHI MIURA, 124, and was awarded a TKO win at 1:24 of the 8th round in a scheduled 10.
We witnessed our Ieyasu-syndrome in this premature stoppage after previously unbeaten ex-high school champ Ieyasu Yashiro collapsed to undergo a brain surgery on Jun. 29. Our referees lately tend to stop fights "two punches" too early, and our crowd shows its sympathy with this tendency of safety-first stoppages. It means that we, in Japan, have usually seen a bit too late stoppages. It's time to reconsider what the proper timing of stopping fights should be.
Miura still had his energy and motivation despite losing on points, and didn't seem to have absorbed too much punishment by Hagiwara, now 22-4-1, 11 KOs. Miura dropped to 8-5, 2 KOs.
Kadoebi Promotions.
(7-9-99)