Japan-Korea tourney held in Tokyo
By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda
One of the most influential promoters here in Japan is Hideyuki Ohashi without doubt—along with Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions-and it is Ohashi (the promoter/manager of “Monster” Naoya Inoue) that strongly supports the restoration of Korean fraternity financially. Ohashi enthusiastically did it in Seoul, Korea on March 1, and did so again in Tokyo on Tuesday with each four Japanese and Koreans hotly exchanging gloves at the Korakuen Hall.
Unbeaten Japanese JBC#6 super welter Yasuomi Soda (6-0-1, 4 KOs), 153, finally caught up with gamely galloping Korean Yong-In Jo (10-7, 2 KOs), 152.25, and halted him with the referee’s intervention at 2:16 of the eighth and final round, Jo made a good start and dominated the first two sessions, but Soda took back the initiative until he finally battered him nearly at will prior to the ref’s stoppage. Soda, 35, is a late bloomer.
Much taller Japanese southpaw Shunpei Kaneshiro (2-0, 1 KO), 121.75, formerly an amateur boxer with forty-one contests, kept whipping Korean Ji-Young Kim (3-1-1, 1 KO), 121.5, all the way en route to a shutout decision (all 60-54) over six.
Japanese welterweight Taiga Kato (5-2, 2 KOs), 146, scored a quick knockout with a beautiful shot to the temple of Korean Dong-Young Kang (4-10-2, no KO), 145.75, at 1:33 of the first round in a scheduled six.
Only one Korean victor was heavyweight Jung-Soo Kim (5-2, 4 KOs), 260, who exploded a vicious right hook to Japan’s Yamato Fujinaka (7-7, 3 KOs), 271.25, and finished him for the count at 2:47 of the second round in a scheduled six. Both were beer-barreled warriors, swinging roundhouse shots each other. Though Japan was victorious over Korea by three to one this night, Korean visitors fought very gamely and the audience at the Hall highly praised their fighting spirits.
Promoter: Dangan Promotions in association with Ohashi Promotions.
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