Sidney Boquiren recaps Sunday's boxing action from Japan.  For more Japanese boxing updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Koki writes Japanese boxing history, becomes first three-division champ

Japanese boxing purists and critics of the alphabet organizations may discount the feat that Koki Kameda achieved on Sunday at the Saitama Super Arena when he won the WBA bantamweight title and became Japan’s first ever three-division champion.

With the inception of the junior divisions and the sheer number of belts handed out in each weight class, the once difficult task of finding success in multiple divisions has clearly become much easier. The very fact that a belt was available was stupefying – the man who had previously held it, Anselmo Moreno, was elevated to the organization’s "Super Champion" status, leaving the "regular" championship vacant. One could also argue that neither participant in yesterday’s bout had been worthy of the title opportunity. Kameda had never fought, let alone beaten, a true contender at 118-pounds; Alexander Munoz retired last November, only to return eleven months later and barely squeak by a sub-.500 journeyman.

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Sidney Boquiren has the latest recaps from Japan.  For more Japanese boxing updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Sato makes first defense, stops Fukumoto in seven

Rising talent Yota Sato capped a stellar 2010 with a subpar performance but still managed to make the first defense of his national super flyweight crown on Monday at Korakuen Hall. The 26-year old burst on the scene with a come-from-behind stoppage win of highly-touted and unbeaten prospect Go Onaga in May, then earned a wide unanimous decision over former Ring Magazine rated veteran Daigo Nakahiro to win the full title in September. Paired with an opponent that was clearly over-matched, however, Sato failed to impress and was dragged into fighting out of his style.

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

Uchiyama-Solis finally confirmed for January 10

The training wheels appear to have been taken off of Takashi Uchiyama’s reign as WBA beltholder, as it was announced on Thursday that he will put his crown on the line against Jorge Solis on January 10. The Ring Magazine’s #4 rated super featherweight (16-0, 13KO) looked spectacular in his title-winning effort against Juan Carlos Salgado in January, but has yet to make a defense against an opponent that posed any real danger. Though his stoppages of Angel Granados and Roy Mukhlis were impressive in their own right, Uchiyama’s combination of tempered skills and overwhelming power left fans and pundits wanting for a more stern test of his abilities. The 31-year old Solis (40-2-2, 29KO), who holds the interim title and fought gamely against Manny Pacquiao in 2007, would be just that.

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Sidney Boquiren recaps the latest boxing action from Japan.  For more Japanese boxing updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Matsuda loses title as corner throws in towel

Lady Luck was not looking gracefully upon featherweight fringe contender Naoki Matsuda on Saturday when he attempted to make the second defense of his OPBF crown. After an accidental clash of heads in the initial frame, the 34-year old had a bad gash over his left eye. Exchanging knockdowns in rounds two and three, the champ continued to fight on until the sixth, when his opponent, Jonel Alibio, sent Matsuda down for the count again. Though the veteran got up to a knee by seven, his corner had seen enough and threw in the towel.

According to unofficial reports, Alibio was the first to strike as a right hand forced Matsuda’s glove to touch the canvas in the second. The defending champ returned the favor in the third, similarly with a right hand, and also benefited when the Filipino was docked a point for a rabbit punch. However, with the bleeding continuing to be an issue, Matsuda was rocked in the sixth with a right and put down by the ensuing flurry.

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Sidney Boquiren recaps the latest boxing action from Japan.  For more Japanese boxing updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Courageous Serie overcomes torn ligament to defend super bantam title

The second half of 2010 has been rough on boxing fans as anticipated fights have seemingly fallen by the wayside one after the other, either via delay or cancelled outright. Ward/Dirrell, Kessler/Green, and the return of Kelly Pavlik have all been scratched while Froch/Abraham, Lopez/Marquez and other bouts have had to be rescheduled. Certainly some of those examples are understandable. A loss at this juncture for guys like Marquez and Pavlik would be tremendous setbacks, and wanting to come into the ring at peak condition is warranted. Others, like Dirrell and Kessler, could have endangered the future of their careers in the ring had they gone on with the scheduled appearance and worsened their injuries (or at least, that’s what their handlers would like followers of the sport to believe).

Cancellation or postponement could have been the case with Tuesday’s main event at Korakuen Hall as well, as national super bantamweight beltholder Masaaki Serie had partially torn the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of his left knee in sparring just last week. While this type of injury is not as devastating as tearing one’s ACL, the damage was severe enough that the 27-year had difficulty getting up and down a flight of stairs. A 10-round fight, to a rational human being, would be out of the question, as lateral mobility would be greatly reduced and planting on the lead foot would be nearly impossible for the full 30 minutes.

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Sidney Boquiren of RingwalkNippon has more recaps from this past weekend's Japanese boxing action along with additional news and notes.  For more Japanese boxing updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Kamegai earns biggest career victory over Alfaro

Top Japanese prospect and current national 140-pound titleholder Yoshihiro Kamegai passed his biggest test in the paid ranks on Sunday, stopping former world champ Jose Alfaro on the undercard of Nishioka-Munroe.

While the Teiken product was probably hit the most he had ever been in a pro bout during the six round war, the performance answered questions as to whether or not Kamegai would be able to handle the power of world-class competition and if his offensive capabilities would be effective at the higher level. The Hokkaido native not only showed a sturdy chin, but also earned a KO victory by battering Alfaro to a knee late in the sixth. Though the Nicaraguan rose to his feet, he was counted out by referee Kazunobu Asao at the 2:36 mark.

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Sidney Boquiren of RingwalkNippon has the ringside report from Sunday's big Tokyo show featuring Toshiaki Nishioka's decision victory over Rendall Munroe.  For more Japanese boxing updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Gallant Munroe unable to match Nishioka’s speed, loses by UD

"I’m not sure if I want to cry or laugh," muttered Rendall Munroe as he reclined in his chair surrounded by local and foreign press after a tough decision loss to Toshiaki Nishioka at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan on Sunday.

The Leicester product had gone 36 minutes with the Ring Magazine’s #1 super bantamweight, and despite losing by unanimous 119-109 tallies, Munroe fought bravely, withstanding a number of concussive blows from the division’s best puncher. Showing a better acumen for the science than presumed, the boxing binman had his bright spots, particularly in the opening frames when Nishioka stood his ground. However, Munroe could not keep up with the elusive champion over the full twelve rounds. The challenger spent the majority of the second half chasing Japan’s "Speed King", unable to close distance to unleash his trademark attack to the body.

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Tokyo Midtown, a chic shopping and restaurant gallery, was the backdrop for the weigh-ins for tomorrow’s "This is Boxing" card featuring WBC super bantamweight titleholder Toshikaki Nishioka versus EBU champ Rendall Munroe. Both men, as well as all the competitors in a solid undercard, successfully made weight on their first attempts. Local broadcaster WOWOW aired the event live as a part of the hype for Sunday’s show.

The public weigh-in, which a colleague who has covered the sport in Japan for over a decade noted was probably the first that she has witnessed in the country, drew several hundred onlookers including more than a dozen of Munroe’s supporters who made the trip out east with the boxing binman. The defending champ tipped the scales at 120-1/2, while the challenger was just under 120.

Sky Sports 2 will also broadcast the fight on Sunday at 10AM local time, meaning viewers may get to see a portion of the undercard.

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