Japanese Scene: Hasegawa/Montiel - Nishioka Targets Munroe & Poonsawat - Takahiro Aoh

Sidney Boquiren of RingwalkNippon has all the latest Japanese boxing news.  For more updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Hasegawa’s jaw broken but rematch possible...

Zanfer Promotions’ Fernando Beltran, co-promoter of newly crowned unified Bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel, is open to the possibility of a rematch with Hozumi Hasegawa should his fighter get through an initial defense. Beltran was quoted Sunday saying, "Both men are highly skilled and it was an even fight. Montiel ended up being lucky, but (I think) we should have a rematch with Hasegawa." Sports Hochi was told that Montiel himself shares the same intentions.

Though many names have been tossed out as future opponents for the WBC & WBO 118-pound titleholder, including Top Rank stablemates Nonito Donaire and Vic Darchinyan, as well as an eventual move to Super Bantam to fight WBO champ Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., one of the stronger possibilities is a September showdown with WBO interim strapholder Eric Morel.

The news that Montiel’s team would consider a return match is uplifting for the dethroned Hasegawa, however, he will first have to deal with repairing a broken (or fractured) jaw. A post-fight CAT scan revealed that the right side of the southpaw’s jaw is cracked. The damage was apparently done by a Montiel left hand in the initial frame of fight, as Hasegawa complained of a loose tooth at the end of the round. Surgery is scheduled for later this week/early next week.

Though the former champ’s lead trainer, Mr. Yamashita, wants to avoid a long layoff, it could take as long as a year for his charge to recover, rehabilitate and work himself back into fighting shape. However, Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions, who handles Hasegawa’s international bouts, noted that it is not a complex fracture and he could be back as soon as this autumn.

Should Montiel-Hasegawa II become a reality, both sides are considering to stage the fight in Mexico, the US, or Japan.

Nishioka targets Munroe & Poonsawat...

Toshiaki Nishioka, who made the fourth defense of his WBC Super Bantamweight title in Friday’s co-main event, could very likely face #1 contender Rendall Munroe in his next bout, but his handlers are eying bigger fights in the future, reported Sponichi.

As Hasegawa-Montiel broke new ground for Japanese boxing by hosting the champion of a non-recognized organization in a local fight, Honda hopes to eventually do the same with Nishioka. Friday’s de-facto unification bout was allowed due to the skill level of both fighters, and it is believed that the JBC will permit similar fights in the future. If Nishioka can build his reputation further on the international scale, the national commission may approve of a future unification bout for the Teiken fighter.

In order to build that reputation, Team Nishioka wants to take on Munroe and perhaps the holder of the WBA title (which is recognized by the JBC), Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym.

Aoh hoping to become two-division champion...

Honda seems to have been very busy recently as Sponichi reports that the other Teiken boxer that fought on Friday, former WBC Featherweight titleholder Takahiro Aoh, has been lined up for an eventual title shot for the 130lb green belt.

Germany-based Vitali Tajbert is the current champion and faces veteran Hector Velazquez later this month. Should he get through the fringe contender, Tajbert would then meet former interim beltholder Humberto Mauro Gutierrez in a rematch of their November 2009 contest. Aoh would face the winner of that bout.

The Japanese southpaw won the Featherweight title in March last year with a unanimous decision over Oscar Larios, but lost the belt in his first defense to New York-based Dominican Elio Rojas. He has jumped up a weight class and won his two matches since that defeat.

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