Box On! Boxing News July.31.

Triple-header championship fights to be staged in Tokyo TOKYO, July 31 - Three Japanese challengers will have world title matches at the same venue on Oct. 4 in Tokyo, officials of Tokyo's Teiken Boxing Gym said Thursday. It will be only the second time in Japan that three Japanese boxers have taken cracks at world titles on the same day since August 1998 in Yokohama Arena. According to officials of Akihiko Honda's Teiken Promotions, the scheduled 12-round World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight title match between Thailand's Veeraphol Nakornluang-Promotion and the top-ranked Japanese challenger Toshiaki Nishioka will serve as the main event of boxing's rare extravaganza to be held at Ryogoku Kokugikan. It will be their third encounter as Veeraphol, who is making his 11th defense of the title he won from Nishioka's compatriot Joichiro Tatsuyoshi in 1998, beat Nishioka by decision in 2000 but was held to a draw with him in their rematch in 2001. The fight has been put off since April due to Nishioka's ill health. Veeraphol, 34, has a record of 41 wins, 29 by knockout, against one loss and a draw, while 27-year-old Nishioka is 23-3-2 with 14 KOs. Hidenobu Honda, the World Boxing Association (WBA) 10th-ranked flyweight will challenge Venezuelan Alexander Munoz, who sports a perfect record of 23 wins all by knockout against no losses, for the latter's super flyweight title. Honda, 27, is 26-2 with 14 KOs. Munoz, 24, is making his second defense of the title he won from Shoji ''Celes'' Kobayashi last year. Former WBA super flyweight kingpin Hideki Todaka, 30, will take on veteran Venezuelan Leo Gamez, who has won world titles in four different weight divisions, for the WBA's interim bantamweight title. Todaka, currently ranked fifth in the division, is 20-3-1 with 10 KOs, while 39-year-old Gamez is 34-9-1 with 26 KOs. The winner is expected to face WBA champion Johnny Bredahl of Denmark, who refused to defend his title, seeking a bigger-money fight. Meanwhile, the WBC's sixth-ranked lightweight Kengo Nagashima, 27, will be pitted against Rick ''Yoshimura'' Roberts, 38, in a 10-round nontitle bout. Roberts recently announced his return to the ring following the Japan Boxing Commission's lifting of an age limit of 37 for fighters. Roberts fights out of Ishikawa Gym on the outskirts of Tokyo. Oriental-Pacific Boxing Federation super lightweight titlist Masakazu Satake, one of Japan's hottest properties, will face undefeated Venezuelan Richard Reina, fighting out of Teiken Gym, in a 10-round nontitle match.

Box On! Boxing News July.30.

Japan's only heavyweight boxer eyes OPBF title TOKYO, July 29 - In a country virtually without heavyweight boxers, Ryosuke Takahashi is an exception -- he is gunning to become Japan's first Oriental-Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) heavyweight champion. The heaviest OPBF title a Japanese has ever captured is the cruiserweight, the second heaviest in the sport's 17 weight divisions, won by Yosukezan Nishijima seven years ago. While Nishijima, known for wearing Japanese ''tabi'' socks in the ring, has fought several times as a heavyweight, he is on the light side and eventually settled as a cruiserweight. The weight limit for cruiserweight is 86.18 kilograms or 190 pounds. Takahashi stands 1.83 meters and weighs between 90 kg and 100 kg. But the 30-year-old Tokyo native said he will stick to the heavyweight category, adding he is hoping the Japan Boxing Commission will revive its own heavyweight division so that other bigger boxers can have a dream of winning a national title. At present, the middleweight (72.57 kg or 160 pounds) is the heaviest division recognized by the JBC. The late Noboru Kataoka, who won the newly created national heavyweight title in 1957, was the first and only national champion as Kataoka had to eventually relinquish the crown for lack of a challenger. After graduating from a junior high school in the United States and Yokohama's Toin Gakuen high school, Takahashi took up boxing while working as a cook but soon after hung up his gloves without even making a professional debut. But Takahashi found a new lease of life as a boxer by joining Tokyo's Kaneko Gym and made a professional debut at the age of 26 in April 1999. While he was not much of a boxer at the beginning, he trained in the U.S., where suitably big sparring partners abound, and returned to Japan transformed. In his latest outing, Takahashi pounded out a lopsided decision over the much heavier Mosese Kavika of Fiji, the OPBF's eighth-ranked heavyweight, and improved his record to 12 wins, six by knockout, against three losses. ''Since I'm a heavyweight, I wanted to score a KO. But I came through with the bout, which really counts. I'm not so big as a heavyweight and, therefore, will depend on my speed and counter punches. With the victory over Kavika, Takahashi is expected to crack the OPBF's top 10-rankings and can now shoot at the title held by Japan-based Ugandan Peter Okhello, who towers over Takahashi and outweighs the Japanese by some 20 kg. Kentaro Kaneko, head of Kaneko Gym, said, ''I want him to have a few more tune-up fights so that he can cope with various types of opponents. The real decisive test for him will come next year.''

Box On! Boxing News July.29.

Okhello KOs Izonritei to keep OPBF heavyweight title NAGOYA, July 27 - Peter Okhello of Uganda proved too powerful for fifth-ranked Australian Roger Izonritei as he scored a devastating third-round knockout on Sunday to retain his Oriental-Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) heavyweight title in Nagoya. The end of the scheduled 12-rounder at Nagoya Kokusai Kaigijo came 3 minutes and 5 seconds into the third round when the 31-year-old Okhello, fighting out of Nagoya's Midori Gym, floored the Australian for the second time and out with a flurry of left-right combinations. Okhello, who weighed in at 110.00 kilograms, decked Izonritei, 28, with a sizzling right uppercut earlier in the round. It was Okhello's fifth defense of the title he won in 2001. With the victory, Okhello improved his record to 13 wins, including 12 KOs, against three losses. Izonritei, who weighed in at 100.2 kg, slipped to five wins, all by KO, against two losses. Earlier, hard-hitting Ryuhei Sugita, unloading heavy artillery from all angles, knocked out Thailand's Wanchana Chuwatthana in the second round in a lightweight nontitle fight. The end of the scheduled 10-rounder came 2 minutes and 51 seconds into the second round when Sugita floored Wanchana for the count with a wicked left hook to the body. The 26-year-old Sugita, ranked 14th of super featherweights by the World Boxing Council (WBC), improved his record to 25 wins, including 21 KOs, against a loss and two draws. Wanchana, Thailand's second-ranked super featherweight, slipped to 8-7 with seven KOs. Meanwhile, undefeated Hiroshi Nakano turned out the lights on Wanchana's compatriot Khannchit Kiatgeja in the third round of a scheduled 10-round super flyweight nontitle bout. It was Nakano's first return to the ring in 13 months following a left knuckle fracture. Southpaw Nakano decked the hapless Thai three times with a savage right-left barrage to finish him off 2 minutes and 6 seconds in the third round. Nakano, the WBC's 11th-ranked flyweight, extended his unbeaten streak to 19, including 11 KOs. Khannchit sagged to 18-16 with nine KOs.

Box On! Boxing News July.26.

Ishii's WBC super bantamweight challenge to be be held Sept.7 NAGOYA, July 25 - The World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantamweight title match between Oscar ''Chololo'' Larios of Mexico and Japan's Kozo Ishii will take place Sept. 7 in Nagoya, boxing sources said Friday. The fight was initially scheduled to take place Aug. 10 at Aichi Martial Arts Gymnasium but was postponed after Ishii hurt muscles in his back while training earlier this month. The scheduled 12-rounder will take place at Rainbow Hall inside the Nagoya Sports Complex, according to the sources. Ishii, who is taking his third crack at a world title following unsuccessful bids in 1999 and 2000, said, ''While I took a rest for about a week, I am fine now and will engage in a slugfest with him. The 25-year-old sixth-ranked Japanese has a record of 31 wins, including 22 knockouts, against three losses. The 27-year-old Larios, who suffered a fractured jaw in beating Shigeru Nakazato in defending the title for the third time in Tokyo in April, is 48-3-1

Box On! Boxing News July.22.

Sato, Yokthai fight to draw in 10-round nontitle bout in Tokyo TOKYO, July 21 – Former World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight champion Osamu ‘’Hulk’’ Sato, surviving a third-round knockdown, fought to a 10-round split draw with ex-WBA super flyweight kingpin Yokthai Sith Oar of Thailand in a featherweight nontitle fight on Monday in Tokyo.      Fighting before a capacity crowd at Korakuen Hall, Sato, who returned to the ring for the first time since losing his title to Salim Medjkoune of France last October, pressed action from the beginning with his signature left hooks to the body.      Yokthai, currently ranked fourth in the bantamweight division by the WBA, landed a crisp left hook on the button shortly after one minute into the third round, putting Sato on the seat of his trunks. Sato, the WBA’s fifth-ranked super bantamweight, got up quickly and fought back.      While Sato increased his pressure with left hooks to the body and overhand rights to the head, the clever Thai did not allow the feisty Japanese to put his punches together.      With the draw, Sato now has a record of 26 wins, 15 by knockout, against two losses and three draws, while Yokthai is 29-3-2 with 18 Kos.      Earlier, champion Masato Hatakeyama battered Yasuhiro Koyama into submission in the eight round to retain his Japan light flyweight title for the second time.      The end of the scheduled 10-rounder came 2 minutes, 35 seconds into the eighth round when Koyama’s corner threw in the towel as Hatakeyama sent the eighth-ranked southpaw reeling along the ropes with a left-right barrage.      With the victory, Hatakeyama improved his record to 11 wins, including four Kos, against two losses and a draw. Koyama dropped to 6-4 with a KO.      Hatakeyama is expected to next face Oriental-Pacific Boxing Federation champion Shingo Yamaguchi in a nontitle bout this fall.

　

Box On! Boxing News July.21.

Hasegawa retains OPBF bantamweight crown Champion Hozumi Hasegawa hammered out a 12-round split decision over Sunao Uno on Sunday to retain his Oriental-Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight title in an all-Japanese fight in Gifu Prefecture. It was the 22-year-old Hasegawa's first defense of the title he won from highly touted Jess Maca of the Philippines, nicknamed ''the Japanese killer,'' last May. Fighting at Gifu Sangyo Kaikan, the southpaw champion landed effective straight lefts to pile up points although he was sometimes put on the defensive in the latter rounds. ''I was forced to fight tough. If I become a fighter strong enough to beat my opponent effortlessly, I will aim at a world title challenge,'' Hasegawa said in his dressing room. With the victory, Hasegawa, currently ranked fifth in the division by the World Boxing Council, improved his record to 12 wins, four by knockout, against two losses, while Uno, ranked eighth by the OPBF, fell to 12-3-2 with eight KOs.

Box On! Boxing News July.17.

Ishii's WBC super bantamweight challenge put off until Sept. NAGOYA, July 17 - The scheduled World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantamweight title match between Oscar ''Chololo'' Larios of Mexico and Japan's Kozo Ishii, originally scheduled to take place Aug. 10 in Nagoya, will be put off until early September as Ishii suffered an injury during training, the manager of Tenyu Maruki Gym, to which Ishii belongs, said Thursday. According to Takao Maruki, the fight at Aichi Martial Arts Gymnasium in Nagoya will probably take place either Sept. 7 or 14 as the seventh-ranked Japanese challenger hurt his back muscles in training. The hard-hitting Mie prefectural native is taking his third crack at a world title following unsuccessful bids in 1999 and 2000. Ishii, 25, has a record of 31 wins, including 22 knockouts, against three losses. The 27-year-old Larios, who suffered a fractured jaw beating Shigeru Nakazato in defending the title for the third time in Tokyo in April, is 48-3-1 with 33 KOs.

Box On! Boxing News July.17.

More pro boxers suffering fractured orbital floor in fights  TOKYO, July 16 - An increasing number of Japanese pro boxers are suffering orbital floor fractures due to blows to the eye during fights, boxing officials said Wednesday. According to the officials who attended the day's joint medical meeting between the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) and the Japan Boxing Association, a total of 42 such cases were reported between January last year and June this year with last November seeing as many as nine. ''Before there was a month in which no such cases had been reported,'' said Joji Otsuki, a JBC doctor. ''I don't see what the likely reason or reasons are (for the increase). We need to keep a close watch on the situation.''

Box On! Boxing News July.17.

Kanayama Kos S. Korean to capture vacant OPBF super welterweight title+ TOKYO, July 15 – National champion Toshiharu Kanayama demolished top-ranked South Korean Oh Byung Chul in the second round on Tuesday to capture the vacant Oriental-Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) super welterweight title in Tokyo.      The end of the scheduled 12-rounder at Korakuen Hall came 55 seconds into the second round after the 28-year-old Kanayama floored the hapless South Korean for the count with a wicked body shot.      With the victory, Kanayama improved his record to 16 wins, 14 by knockout, against three losses, while the 30-year-old Oh dropped to 11-7-1 with three Kos.      Earlier, Kanayama’s stablemate Yoshinori Nishizawa, 37, stopped Arama Tabuai of Australia at the end of the fourth round in a scheduled 10-round nontitle fight.      While Tabuai came out banging with wild punches in the first two rounds, Nishizawa, who has recently relinquished his OPBF super middleweight title to concentrate on a world title challenge, weakened his smaller opponent by working his body.      Tabuai, Australia’s ninth-ranked middleweight, did not come out of the corner for the fifth round as he suffered a dislocated left shoulder.      Despite his age, Nishizawa, the seventh-ranked super middleweight by the World Boxing Council (WBC), can continue fighting following the Japan Boxing Commission’s recent lifting of the age limit of 37 and hopes to challenge WBC champion Markus Beyer of Germany for the latter’s title.      Nishizawa is now 23-13-5 with 11 Kos, while Tabuai is 5-8 with three Kos.

Box On! Boxing News July15.

Honda TKOs Nakamura in nontitle flyweight fight TOKYO, July 14 - Third-ranked World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight Hidenobu Honda, flailing away with both hands from the opening bell, stopped compatriot Yoshinobu Nakamura in the ninth round Monday in a nontitle bout in Tokyo. It was the 27-year-old Honda's first bout since losing to Thailand's Pongsaklek Kratindaenggym in a fight for the latter's title last November in Osaka. Fighting at Korakuen Hall, southpaw Honda dropped Nakamura, ranked fourth in the Japanese super flyweight, twice in the first round -- first with a right uppercut and second with flurry of combinations. Honda, who is said to be seeking another world title challenge in a weight category ranging from the 50.8-kilogram flyweight to the 57.1-kg featherweight, landed a crisp one-two to send Nakamura on his behind in the fifth round. But Nakamura, an Aichi Prefecture native, dug down for something extra and hit back at the stylish southpaw in the seventh to clearly take that round, only to be stopped 1 minute, 33 seconds into the ninth round of the scheduled 10-rounder as he suffered severe cuts above his eyes. With the victory, Honda, who used to be a sparring partner of one of Mexico's greatest featherweights, Marco Antonio Barrera, better known as ''The Baby Faced Assassin,'' improved his record to 26 wins, 14 by knockout, against two losses, while the 26-year-old Nakamura fell to 17-2-2 with 11 KOs.

Box On! Boxing News July.13.

Arambulet beats Niida to keep WBA minimumweight title YOKOHAMA, July 12 Champion Noel Arambulet of Venezuela pounded out a 12-round split decision over previously undefeated Yutaka Niida of Japan on Saturday to defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight title in Yokohama. It was the 29-year-old Arambulet's second successful defense of the title he won from Niida's compatriot Keitaro Hoshino on July 29 last year. Arambulet beat Hoshino in his first title defense last December. South Korean judge Yuh Wan Soo and Panamanian judge Rodolfo Maldonado both scored the bout 115-114 in favor of Arambulet, while Henk Meijers of the Netherlands had it 116-114 for Niida, a former WBA champion. American Armando Garcia served as the nonscoring referee. Fighting at Pacifico Yokohama, Niida pressed forward from around the middle rounds with his vaunted punches only to face Arambulet's counter blows as the Venezuelan warded off Niida's offense with tight defense. With the victory, Arambulet improved his record to 20 wins, including 10 knockouts, against two defeats, one draw and one no contest, while Niida is 14-1-3 with seven KOs. Arambulet tipped the scales at the class limit of 47.6 kilograms, while the fifth-ranked Niida, who fought his first fight since August 2001, weighed in at 47.3 kg. World Boxing Council super flyweight champion Masamori Tokuyama, or Hong Chang Su, is currently the only world champion fighting out of a Japanese gym. After the fight, Arambulet said he is satisfied with the victory as he had insufficient power left to knock out Niida in the latter rounds due to his difficulty in making the minimumweight limit. For his part, Niida, guided by former Oriental featherweight kingpin Mitsunori Seki, said, ''I admit I have lost. I will start all over again.'' Niida surprised the boxing world by suddenly announcing his retirement from the ring in the fall of 2001 without defending the WBA title he won in August that year from Thailand's Chana Porpaoin. But the Japanese said at the end of last year that he would return to the ring and directly challenge the Venezuelan. In the main supporting card, highly touted 17-year-old Venezuelan super bantamweight Jorge Linares battered Japan's Yasuhisa ''Thunder'' Ito into submission in the third round in a scheduled 10-round nontitle fight. The undefeated Venezuelan, who turned pro from Tokyo's Teiken Boxing Gym last December after fighting 150 bouts as an amateur, extended his unbeaten log to five wins, three by KO. Ito fell to 9-4-3 with two KOs.

Box On! Boxing News July.12.

Japan's Nishijima stopped in Californian cruiserweight boxing SAN JOSE, California, July 11  - Japan's Yosuke Nishijima hit the deck twice and suffered a second-round technical knockout against local favorite Cecil McKenzie on Thursday in the Californian cruiserweight title match held in San Jose. The end of the scheduled 10-rounder came 45 seconds into the second round when the referee stepped in to call a halt to the bout after Nishijima, 30, suffered two knockdowns in the round. Nishijima, Japan's only heavier-weight boxer fighting in the United States, was sent to the canvas immediately after the start of the second round with a sizzling left hook to the head. As he struggled to clear his head and return to his feet, a wicked left hook sent Nishijima, the former World Boxing Federation cruiserweight king, on the seat of his trunks again, prompting the referee to stop the carnage. It was Nishijima's second defeat in his long pro career against 24 wins, 15 by KO, and a draw. For his part, 37-year-old McKenzie, is 13-6-1 with 10 KOs. Nishijima, who was previously called Yosukezan Nishijima fought his first fight in 16 months, told reporters in his dressing room, ''I don't remember anything.''

Box On! Boxing News July.10.

Champ Arambulet, Niida vow to win in WBA minimumweight fight Champion Noel Arambulet of Venezuela and Japanese challenger Yutaka Niida were brimming with confidence at their pre-fight press conference Thursday, both vowing to win Saturday's World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight title match in Yokohama. Arambulet, making his second defense of the title he won from Niida's compatriot Keitaro Hoshino in July last year, said, ''My condition is perfect. I want to fight soon and I will bring back the belt to my country.'' Undefeated Niida, who surprised the boxing world by suddenly announcing his retirement from the ring in the fall of 2001 without defending the WBA title he won in August that year, said, ''I could climb through the ropes right now. I've done what I have to do and I'm confident I can come out the winner.'' The lanky 24-year-old Yokohama native, currently ranked seventh by the WBA, said at the end of last year that he will return to the ring and directly challenge the Venezuelan. Arambulet, 30, who is fighting his fourth fight in Japan, has a record of 19 wins, including 10 knockouts, against two defeats, one draw and one no contest, while 24-year-old Niida is 14, seven by KO, and three draws. Arambulet beat Hoshino in his first title defense last December. The scheduled 12-rounder will be staged at Pacifico Yokohama. The 47.62-kilogram (105 pounds) minimumweight, formally known as the strawweight, is the lightest of the sport's 17 weight divisions. American Armando Garcia will serve as the nonscoring referee.

Box On! Boxing News July.10.

Bakirov decisions Yarte in 8-round nontitle bout Masa Bakirov of Uzbekistan, unleashing a barrage of right-left combinations, pounded out a onesided decision over Cezar Yarte of the Philippines in an eight-round superwelterweight  nontitle bout in Tokyo on Wednesday. Southpaw Bakirov, whose real name is Farhad Bakirov, landed lefts to the head and body throughout the fight while warding off Yarte’s wild throws at Korakuen Hall. With the victory, Bakirov, the World Boxing Association’s 11th-ranked welterweight, extended his unbeaten streak in Japan to five, including three knockouts, while Yarte, the second-ranked Filipino welterweight, dropped to 5-4 with two Kos. Bakirov, a former Pan-Asian Boxing Federation welterweight ruler, is fighting out of the Iwaki Kyoei Gym in Fukushima Prefecture, an offshoot of the Kyoei Boxing Gym.

Box On! Boxing News July.7.

Nagashima hammers out lopsided decision over Thai in nontitle fight Southpaw Kengo Nagashima, landing a barrage of punches from all angles, pounded out a shutout decision over Thai lightweight champion KongDharani Poh Surasak in a 10-round nontitle fight at Koga Golf Links in Ibaraki Prefecture on Sunday. While there were no knockdowns in the fight, 27-year-old Nagashima, ranked fifth by the World Boxing Council (WBC), frequently connected with effective blows to the head and body. But the Thai took them well and managed to last the distance. With the victory, Nagashima, who is aiming at another world title shot following his failed bid to win the vacant WBC crown last August, improved his record to 24 wins, including 14 KOs, against two defeats and a draw. KongDharani fell to 7-6 with five KOs. The rangy Japanese was knocked out cold in the second round by KongDharani's compatriot Sirimongkol Singwancha on Aug. 24. Nagashima’s manager and father Kiyoshi Nagashima said after the fight he is planning to pit his son against two-time former Japanese champion Rick ‘’Yoshimura’’ Roberts of the United States, 38, who has recently announced his return to the ring following the Japan Boxing Commission’s lifting of the 37-year-old age limit.

Box On! Boxing News July.6.

Araki upsets Suzuki, wrests Japan middleweight title Challenger Yoshihiro Araki jabbed his way to a 10-round split decision over highly touted Satoru Suzuki to wrest the Japanese middleweight title on Saturday in Tokyo. Fighting at Korakuen Hall, third-ranked Araki, a former high school baseball teammate of New York Mets outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo, started out cautiously and piled up points with accurate jabs throughout. With the victory, the 29-year-old Osaka native improved his record to 12 wins, six by knockout, against a loss. The 27-year-old Suzuki, who failed in his 10th defense of the title he won by stopping Naotaka Hozumi on Aug. 1, 2000, fell to 20-4 with 14 KOs. Both fighters tipped the scales at 72.3 kilograms. In one of the supporting cards, Venezuelan super lightweight Richard Reina, who is fighting under a contract with Teiken Boxing Gym, stopped Dindo Castanares of the Philippines in the second round of a scheduled 10-round nontitle bout. He has extended his unbeaten record to 13 wins, 12 by KO.

Box On! Boxing News July.5.

WBA champ Arambulet arrives in Japan for title defense World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight champion Noel Arambulet of Venezuela arrived in Tokyo on Saturday for a July 12 title defense against Japan's Yutaka Niida in Yokohama. The arrival of the 30-year-old was delayed by one day due to his flight schedule. It will be Arambulet's second defense of the 47.62-kilogram title he won from Niida's compatriot Keitaro Hoshino on July 29 last year. He decisioned Hoshino in his first defense on Dec. 20 last year. Undefeated Niida, guided by former Oriental featherweight kingpin Mitsunori Seki, surprised the boxing world by suddenly announcing his retirement from the ring in the fall of 2001 without defending the WBA title he won from Thailand's Chana Porpaoin on Aug. 25 that year. But the lanky 24-year-old Yokohama native, currently ranked seventh by the WBA, said at the end of last year that he will return to the ring and directly challenge the Venezuelan. The scheduled 12-rounder will be staged at Pacifico Yokohama. Arambulet has a record of 19 wins, including 10 knockouts, against two defeats, one draw and one no contest, while Niida is 14, seven by KO, and three draws. The minimumweight, formally known as the strawweight, is the lightest of the sport's 17 weight divisions.

Box On! Boxing News July 5.

WBA champ Arambulet's arrival in Japan put off The scheduled arrival Friday of World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight champion Noel Arambulet of Venezuela for a July 12 title fight in Yokohama was delayed due to the flight schedule, boxing sources said. The 30-year-old Venezuelan will take on undefeated former champion Yutaka Niida of Japan at Pacifico Yokohama. It will be Arambulet's second defense of the title he won from Niida's compatriot Keitaro Hoshino last year. Niida surprised the boxing world by suddenly announcing his retirement from the ring in the fall of 2001 without defending the WBA title he won from Thailand's Chana Porpaoin in August that year. But the lanky 24-year-old Yokohama native said at the end of last year that he will return to the ring and directly challenge the Venezuelan.

Box On! Boxing News July 4.

Japanese female boxing champ Raika itching for title defense Emiko Raika, Japan's only world champion in women's boxing, is brimming with confidence as she prepares to defend the title she captured last December. The 27-year-old Kyoto native, who is fighting out of Tokyo's Yamaki Gym under the name Raika, said she thinks she is getting stronger and wants to keep that way ''until my November defense.'' Raika, who became the Women's International Boxing Association (WIBA) champion with a hairline decision over Australian Sharon Anyos in a hard-fought battle, has just come through a nontitle fight in Tokyo. ''I think I've improved a lot on every front, especially as I was able to maintain my composure,'' she said. Raika, who first put on gloves in 1998 as an amateur in Kyoto, is known for her hard punch and is nicknamed ''Tomorrow's Joe'' after the popular boxing cartoon character of that name. She hits so hard that she once turned out lights on her male sparring partner during training in the gym, which doubles as a kick boxing gym. ''That man did not come to the gym for the next week or so,'' she said sheepishly. Raika said she can now fairly easily find openings in her sparring partners and can nail her punch after having turned in about 100 rounds of sparring in one month. ''At long last, I can hit where I want to hit. I can spar to my heart's content now,'' said Raika, who has a record of nine wins, including four knockouts, against a loss and a draw. Former two-time world champion Takanori Hatakeyama, who trains Raika and serves as a second for her when she fights, said he admires her rapid improvement. Raika, who was raised in an institution for poor children, said, ''I can become stronger because all the people around me are so supportive.'' She is expected to have another nontitle fight in September before putting her title on the line against the hard-hitting Anyos on Nov. 30. ''I'll knock her out this time around,'' she promised.

Box On! Boxing News July 2

Tokuyama hopes for title fight on 38th parallel to unite Koreas ''My dream is to stage a world title fight on the 38th parallel on the Korean Peninsula so that people from both Koreas can move freely, at least inside the fight venue,'' World Boxing Council (WBC) super flyweight champion Masamori Tokuyama said Tuesday. Speaking to reporters at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan in Tokyo, the 28-year-old champion, who just made his seventh successful defense of the title in a bout against fifth-ranked Katsushige Kawashima, said while the fact he is a pro-Pyongyang Korean resident of Japan has nothing to do with his boxing, he wants to see people living on both sides of the demilitarized zone reunited as early as possible. Tokuyama said he is no ''politician'' and wants to continue fighting in a business-as-usual manner, referring to a recent incident in which threatening messages appeared on his personal Web site after Sept. 17 last year, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Il admitted to Japan that the North had abducted a number of Japanese citizens. ''True I suffered harassment, but I received more encouraging responses (from fans) after the incident was made public,'' said Tokuyama, whose real name is Hong Chang Su. The soft-spoken ruler of the 52.1-kilogram (115-pound) weight class said he was invited to visit Pyongyang after his second title defense and ''felt relieved'' after seeing people there, including whites, blacks, Chinese and other Asians, leading normal lives. ''I came back being conferred with the title 'hero','' he added. He was born in Tokyo's Ota Ward and now is fighting out of an Osaka gym run by former Oriental champ Hideo Kanazawa, a pro-Seoul Korean resident. Asked whether he has any intention of changing his name and becoming a naturalized Japanese, Tokuyama dismissed the idea, saying, ''I was given my name from my parents and want to retain it although I may face some inconveniences. To me, changing my nationality is like going through a plastic surgery operation and is betrayal to the parents.'' The gutsy champion brimmed with confidence as he said that a unification fight with his opposite number, World Boxing Association kingpin Alexander Munoz of Venezuela, is under consideration. ''I am also thinking about moving up in weight (to bantamweight) to capture another title because I have difficulty making (the super flyweight) weight,'' he said. While Tokuyama, who is nursing an injured left knuckle from his June 23 defense against Kawashima, is hoping to return to the ring before the end of this year, he is now planning a belated honeymoon with his (South) Korean wife, with whom he got married in March. Tokuyama proposed in the ring after he captured the Oriental-Pacific Boxing Federation title in September 1999. ''They say defending a world title is more difficult than capturing it. How true that is! Many people snuggle up to you for one reason or another, and that will eventually deprive you of the incentive to maintain a 'hungry spirit','' he said. Tokuyama said he does not believe much in so-called scientific training since it is his style to build up motivation simply through hard training. ''To my way of thinking the one who has higher spirits comes out the winner in the end, and the harder you train, the stronger you become spiritually,'' he said.

Box On! Boxing News July 2

Ohnaka captures vacant OPBF minimumweight title    Southpaw Genki Ohnaka, utilizing his longer reach to his advantage, outboxed second-ranked South Korean Na Gi Mun for 12 rounds to capture the vacant Oriental-Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) minimumweight title in a lopsided fashion in Hiroshima on Tuesday, The 22-year-old Ohnaka, ranked seventh by the World Boxing Council, connected with more effective blows against his southpaw fopponent at Hiroshima Green Arena.       With the victory, Ohnaka, who fights out of Shin-Nihon Tokuyama Gym in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, improved his record to 13 wins, including six knockouts, against two losses and a loss.  Na sagged to 7-5-1 with four Kos. Top Page