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

Team Hasegawa hopes for rematch with Montiel

Nikkan Sports reports that Hozumi Hasegawa’s handlers are planning to contact representatives for Fernando Montiel to discuss the possibility of a rematch. The former WBC Bantamweight titleholder has been on the mend since losing to the heavy-handed Mexican at the end of April. Hasegawa, who would like the chance to exact revenge within the year, seems to be recovering smoothly and is back in the gym.

Over the weekend, the current WBC & WBO champ dropped fringe contender Rafael Concepcion twice before laying him out with a vicious right hand in the third round. Upon hearing the news of Montiel’s victory, Hasegawa’s lead trainer and the chairman of Shinsei Gym, Masato Yamashita (who was spotted at Korakuen Hall last night), commented that they plan to get in touch with Montiel’s camp shortly.

The Los Mochis native, however, looks to have been paired with fellow Top Rank fighter Nonito Donaire for a November showdown. All things considered, I would much rather see that fight than for the Japanese southpaw to rush back into the ring before he is fully prepared. Hasegawa might want to think about taking a comeback fight and target the winner of Montiel/Donaire in spring 2011.

Tomoki Kameda targets another WBC title

Kameda No. 3 continues his quest to collect as many green belts as possible as it was announced on the 18th that he will be facing undefeated prospect Stephane Jamoye (18-0, 8KO) for his WBC Youth World Bantamweight title at the end of August. The Belgian is currently rated #9 by the WBC. Tomoki (15-0, 11KO) is coming off a UD win against Arturo Camargo that earned him the 122lb version of the WBC Youth crown less than two weeks ago.

It is a bit difficult to judge which boxer has faced the better set of opponents, as each has their share of Ws against no-hopers. Both have beaten a former world title challenger (Kameda UD Marlon Marquez, Jamoye TKO Franck Gorjux), and both have been fed journeymen recently. Jamoye might have a slight mental edge as he has already taken the "0" from a fellow undefeated prospect by earning a split decision over then 23-0 Punluang Sor Singyu last May.

The exact date and venue has yet to be announced.

Ishida to defend interim 154lb title in September

WBA Super Welterweight interim champion Nobuhiro Ishida, inactive since defending the title in December, could be making a return to the ring in early September reported Sports Hochi. While an opponent has not been determined, there is a high possibility that the fight will occur in either the US or Mexico.

Looking at the WBA ratings for the 154lb class, I would imagine possible opponents include Austin "No Doubt" Trout, who has been mentioned as a dance partner before, and Venezuelan prospect Nelson Linares (19-0-1, 12KO). Ishida would be lucky to get paired with #4 ranked Vanes Martirosyan, but I would not be surprised to see him face the man the Armenian-American just beat – Joe Greene (who is still in the WBA top 15). Hopefully we will not have to watch a rematch with Marco Antonio Avendo, who Ishida beat to win the vacant title.

The interim champ expressed his frustration in the latest issue of Boxing Magazine in being unable to get the full titleholder to face him. The full crown was held by Yuri Foreman and is now in the hands of Miguel Cotto. The 34-year old Ishida has as good a chance of getting the Puerto Rican in the ring as I do. If he wants the full title, for whatever reason, he is better off defending the interim version and waiting for Cotto to vacate the crown. He probably needs to get a bit more realistic and look to fight someone like Martirosyan or WBA #1 contender Anthony Mundine.

More Boxing Notes

• In interviews after last night’s victory, handlers for Yoshihiro Kamegai revealed plans to match their charge with a world-ranked opponent in October. Teiken’s Akihiko Honda stated that he would like to build his prospect into an elite 140-pounder within the next two years. The national champion would be on the verge of turning 30 at that time. I still think that he has more opportunities if he can make the lightweight limit, but given a two-year window, who knows?
• Kamegai apparently hurt his left arm during the fight. It still did not prevent him from overpowering his opponent and does not look to delay the plan for an autumn return.
• Former WBA Flyweight strapholder Takefumi Sakata is back in Japan after a 10-day camp in Hawaii in preparation for his September date with current champ Daiki Kameda. Sakata will be scouting his opponent later this week as Kameda will be fighting in a non-title bout to shake off some ring rust. An after fight exchange between Kameda and Sakata might be more entertaining than Kameda’s actual fight…
• WBC Super Bantamweight champ Toshiaki Nishioka made a public appearance over the weekend and spoke about his scheduled defense against Rendall Munroe. Apparently it has yet to be finalized whether the fight will occur in the land of the rising sun or in Munroe’s native England. Nishioka expressed that he hopes the showdown will take place in Japan. Though I do not think the southpaw would hesitate to defend his belt abroad, I can’t see there being more money for this bout outside of the country.
• Kohei Oba, who suffered the first loss of his career to Malcolm Tunacao last week, announced that he plans to continue as a pro boxer. In a recent blog entry, he admitted that he believed earlier in his career that he would retire should he lose a fight. I wouldn’t write him off just yet, but I think he will have to do a good amount of retooling if he plans to compete at the elite level.
• While I certainly am not giving up on Hayato Kimura (aka Big Yoo/Joon In Yoo) after being stopped by AJ Banal on Saturday, I do find his handlers’ matchmaking strategy a little too ambitious. Granted, according to 8countnews.com, Kimura was in the fight until the very end, but to set him up with the Filipino, who has an extra level or two of experience, didn’t make much sense to me at this point in the 21-year old’s career. The Seoul-based fighter has a decent punch, but the verdict on his chin was still open before meeting Bazooka as he hit the canvas in his last bout against someone with much less power. I hope his representatives are more logical in designing the strategy for Kimura’s rebuilding.

e-mail Sidney Boquiren

For more coverage of Japanese boxing, follow Sidney on Twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter