By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Newly crowned WBO flyweight champ Sho Kimura (16-1-2, 9 KOs), 112, retained his belt as he kept boring in, bloodied ex-Olympian Toshiyuki Igarashi (23-3-3, 12 KOs), 112, and scored a well-received TKO at 2:34 of the ninth round on Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. Having upset two-time Olympic champ Shiming Zou to capture the WBO belt in Shanghai last July, Kimura successfully scored his first defense over the more experienced mandatory challenger.

Igarashi, recently a frequent bleeder from his scar tissues, had red ribbon streaming from a cut over the left eyebrow in the third and from another over the right optic in the sixth. He was forced to go on fighting in a bloody mess. Kimura, 29, recklessly kept going forward with roundhouse shots, while Igarashi, 33, only kept circling and retreating without throwing effective punches to the onrushing champ.

Kimura showed his best in the eighth, when he caught the fading challenger with wild left hooks and looping right hooks to have him retreating to the ropes. The fatal ninth saw Kimura fully open his engine and batter him to the ropes with a flurry of punches, when the referee Katsuhiko Nakamura (Japan) wisely waved it off to save the loser. Prior to the stoppage, the official tallies were lopsided: Adalaide Bird (US) 80-72, Luis Ruiz (Puerto Rico) and Takeshi Shimakawa (Japan) both 79-73, all in favor of the defending champ.

Igarashi was a sole representative in boxing from Japan for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. He turned professional in Teiken Gym, the oldest stable here which has produced many champions, in 2006. The fast-handed southpaw once nicknamed “Supersonic” wrested the WBC flyweight belt by outspeeding and outfighting Filipino Sonny Boy Jaro and defended it against Argentine Nestor Narvaes, the younger brother of Omar, in 2012. But he, in his second defense, yielded it to a veteran compatriot with a fluctuating career Akira Yaegashi by an upset verdict 2013. He apparently made a mistake as he failed to utilize his potential speed on hand and foot but too recklessly swapped punches toe-to-toe only to be outpunched by the much shorter Yaegashi. Since then, four years and eight months passed for Igarashi to enter the squared circle in order to regain the world throne this time.

Sho Kimura, less talented than Igarashi on amateur credentials, began to learn boxing at the age of fifteen and only briefly boxed some contests in high school. He resumed boxing at 22, when he tasted a bitter defeat, a first round knockout by Shosuke Oji in his pro debut in 2013. Since then, Sho kept winning including a couple of draws. Technically not so superb, nor so power-punching, Kimura was only one of those club fighters. But his manager/trainer Masayuki Ariyoshi of Aoki Gym opened a way for Sho to acquire the vacant WBO Asia Pacific flyweight belt by eking out a majority decision over compatriot Masahiro Sakamoto in November of the previous year.

Rated by the WBO, Kimura was fortunately given an opportunity to face Chinese hero Shiming Zou with his WBO 112-pound belt on the line this July. Before his departure for Shanghai no one in Japan expected him to bring back the world belt by dethroning such a formidable champ as Zou, two-time Olympic gold medalist. But so did he. Trailing on points (94-96, 93-97 for Zou and 96-94 for Kimura), Sho made a do-or-die attack to the fading champ, desperately battered the Chinese and finally wore him down en route to an eleventh-round TKO loss. He’s truly a Cinderella man.

Even after his unexpected coronation Sho lives alone in a small apartment, works to deliver liquor from 7 AM to 3 PM and then regularly train at the Aoki Gym afterward.

The man who gave him only a defeat, Shosuke Oji (who retired after one pro fight with Kimura), was a southpaw. Kimura wasn’t good at fighting a southpaw opponent. After he decided to fight the southpaw mandatory challenger Igarashi, Kimura went abroad to train at Hong Kong and Thailand, where he had some 300 sparring sessions exclusively with southpaw partners. His efforts paid off well.

The badly bleeding and crestfallen loser Igarashi declared a farewell to boxing after this bitter defeat, saying, “I’m happy to be able to fight for the world championship in the end of my career. I already decided before the fight that I’ll hang up gloves if beaten.”

Boxing is sometimes a miniature of life. A year ago Sho Kimura was never expected to be a world champion, but once he took an opportunity in Shanghai, he opened the door for fame and fortune by himself. Having defeated a couple of excellent Olympians Zou and Igarashi, he thus became a different person with good confidence in himself.

 

             

Full Report: Kimura stops Olympian Igarashi

Date:  Tuesday, July 11, 2017

WBO FEMALE ATOMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan

Promoter:  Watanabe Gym Promotions / Mr. Kazutaka Yoshiro

Supervisor:  Leon Panoncillo, Jr.

Referee:  Katsuhiko Nakamura 

Judges:  Takeshi Shimakawa (96-95), Surat Soikrachang (94-97), Masakazu Murase (95-95)

Results:  The WBO Female Atomweight Title was kept by the Champion Nao Ikeyama and held to a split draw against Saemi Hanagata.

TV:   

Date:  Sunday, July 2, 2017

WBO INTERNATIONAL LT. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location:  Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Promoter:  Duco Events Ltd/Dean Lonergan –  Top Rank/Bob Arum  

Supervisor:   Leon Panoncillo

Referee: Phil Austin

Judges:   Katsuhiko Nakamura 96-94, Adam Height 96-94, Danrex Tapdasan  96-94

Results:   The WBO International Lt. Heavyweight Title was defeated by Damien Hooper against Umar Salamov by Unanimous Decision.

TV:   USA ESPN, Australia Main Event, New Zealand Sky Arena

Date: Friday, May 19, 2017

Vacant WBO Female Mini-Flyweight

Location:  Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan

Promoter: Watanabe Promotions / Mr. Hitoshi Watanabe

Supervisor:   Leon Panoncillo

Referee:  Katsuhiko Nakamura

Judges:  Surat Soikratchang (98-92);  Edward Ligas (97-93);  Masakazu Murase (97-93)

Results:   The Vacant WBO Female Mini Flyweight Title was obtained by Kayoko Ebata against Erika Hanawa by Unanimous Decision.

TV:

Date:   Friday, December 30, 2016

WBO JR. BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE BOUT

Location: Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan

Promoter:  Ohashi Promotions / Hideyuki Ohashi

Supervisor:  István Kovács

Referee: Robert Byrd

Judges:  Zoltan Enyedi, Takeshi Shimakawa, Katsuhiko Nakamura

Results: Naoya Inoue wins by KO @ 2:00 of the 6th Round

TV:

thumbs_61416fujio011  thumbs_61416fujio024

By Joe Koizumi
Photos: Sumio Yamada

40-year-young WBO female bantamweight champ Naoko Fujioka (15-1, 6 KOs), 117.5, impressively kept her belt when she withstood the opening attack of ex-WBC flyweight titlist Go Shindo (16-4, 11 KOs), 117.75, took back the initiative with her furious retaliation and finally pounded out a very unanimous verdict (98-91 twice and 97-92) over ten grueling rounds on Monday in Tokyo, Japan. It must be Fight of the Decade, as our people never saw such a furious give-and-take battle in female boxing history in Japan.

The opening session witnessed Shindo almost topple the defending champ with a vicious right cross twice, and the crowd sensed that the end would come soon with the challenger victorious, but it was Fujioka that displayed desperate retaliations from the second round onward. Piling up points, Fujioka finally caught up with the game and hard-punching Shindo, taller and bigger than the champ, and floored her with a solid right to the face in the closing seconds of the eighth. 

Shindo, who had lost a controversial split duke to Mariana Juarez in quest of the WBC 112-pound belt in Los Angeles four years ago, showed her heart with desperate attacks with full power in round nine, but the champ gamely fought back hard with faster and more accurate combinations toe-to-toe in the squared circle. Japan’s Katsuhiko Nakamura finely controlled the hard-fought contest.

In the first WBO title bout, 46-year-young Nao Ikeyama (10-2, only one KO), 100.75, barely kept her 102-pound belt by a split draw (96-94, 94-96, 95-95) with Saemi Hanagata (12-7-2, 6 KOs), 101.77, over ten. Danrex Tapdasan of the Philippines was the third man.

thumbs_61416fujio001 thumbs_61416fujio002 thumbs_61416fujio003 thumbs_61416fujio004thumbs_61416fujio006 thumbs_61416fujio005 thumbs_61416fujio007 thumbs_61416fujio008 thumbs_61416fujio009

fujioka-shindo.fn.330w

 

thumbs_61416fujio012  thumbs_61416fujio013thumbs_61416fujio014thumbs_61416fujio015 thumbs_61416fujio016 thumbs_61416fujio017 thumbs_61416fujio018 thumbs_61416fujio019 thumbs_61416fujio020thumbs_61416fujio021 thumbs_61416fujio022 thumbs_61416fujio023 thumbs_61416fujio025

www.fightnews.com/Boxing/wbo-female-118lb-champ-fujioka-defeats-shindo-in-womens-fight-of-the-decade-342189/nggallery/page/1

 

IMG_1872

Chuncheon, KOREA–In a fast-paced action fight, Japan’s Mako Yamada outhustled and outpointed defending WBO minimum weight champion Su-Yun Hong over ten rounds at the city gymnasium here.

The shorter Yamada fought with laser-guided precision, sweeping the first three rounds to befuddle the taller defending champion who was heavily breathing starting in the second frame.

By the fourth, and egged on by hometown crowd, Hong upped his tempo a bit, making the fight exciting with both fighters taking and giving punches.

Yamada’s speed and volume-punching proved too much, however, as she cruised to a split decision victory.

Neutral judge Salven Lagumbay of the Philippines scored it 96-94 for Yamada, Japan’s Katsuhiko Nakamura saw it 97-93 for Yamada, while Korean judge Joint Sum Kwon had it 97-96 for Hong. The Korean judge scored three of the rounds a 10-10.

Referee Danrex Tapdasan observed that the defending champ Hong was already breathing heavily as early as the second round.

A possible rematch can be worked out, according to WBO Asia Chairman Leon Panoncillo who supervised the bout. Hong’s handlers own an option to Yamada’s next defense.

Yamada’s handlers, meanwhile, can also bid to hold the fight in Japan, which has recently affiliated itself to the WBO in a special ceremony last year with no less than WBO President Paco Valcarcel in attendance.

With the win, Yamada now boasts of 7 wins, no loss with 2 KO’s while the dethroned Hong tastes her first defeat against 9 wins.

NOTES: Former ALA fighter and RP champion Bart Abapo took time off from his job as a boxing trainer here to visit this writer and WBO chief Leon Panncillo and referee Tapdasan…Chuncheon is just two hours away from communist country North Korea…JBC’s Aaron Ning is probably the hardest-working boxing official in Korea…

http://philboxing.com/news/story-91891.html

IMG_20140208_121421

Chuncheon, KOREA–An interesting bust-up takes place here today as reigning WBO mini flyweight world champion Su-Yun-Hong defends her title against Japan’s Mako Yamada over ten rounds at the city gymnasium.

This is a highly anticipated face-off between the two undefeated lady boxers, with both media outlets from both countries giving attention to the fight.

Hong came in at 105 lbs, while Yamada was 103 lbs at yesterday’s weigh-in supervised by WBO Asia Pacific chairman Leon Panoncillo.

Hong, unblemished in 9 scraps with 5 KO’s, will be making the third defense of the title he won back in 2012. Yamada, 19, is unbeaten in 6 bouts with 2 KO’s.

Promoter for today’s bout is YMW Promotions headed by Moyung-Woo Yuh.

Third man on the ring is lawyer Danrex Tapdasan while judges are ABC-accredited Salven Lagumbay of the Philippines, Japan’s Katsuhiko Nakamura, and Korea’s Joong-Suk Kwon.

http://philboxing.com/news/story-91877.html

Reigning WBO female minimum weight champion Su-Yun Hong retained her title with a split decision verdict over Japanese challenger Mari And hours ago in Seoul, Korea.

Hong took the early initiative, piling up points, but the challenger came out stronger in the latter rounds in what was described by WBO supervisor Leon Panoncillo as a ‘great back to back action fight.’

Judge Kyung-Hun Lee had it 99-91 and Bruce McTavish saw it 98-92 both in favor of the defending champion while Katsuhiko Nakamura saw it for the challenger, 96-94.

It was the Korean girl’s second defense of the WBO title she took by outpointing Thai Teeraporn Pannimit in Macau last year. She initially defended the title with a fifth-round TKO over Buangern Onesongchaigym last April 27 in Jinju City, South Korea.

With the win, Hong now improves to 9 wins, 0 loss, 5 KO’s.

Referee for the fight was Danrex Tapdasan Esq., while special mention goes to the hardworking Aaron Jang of the Korean Boxing Commission.

http://philboxing.com/news/story-86181.html