ISHIDA, FROM ONE OF THE ACTION HEROES TO JAPANESE HERO AND NEW ASIAN HERO
By Rod Mijares
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 12 Apr 2011
Rod Mijares also writes for Balita News Network in Las Vegas, Nevada
Boxing fans were aghast and speechless. Some could not even pronounce correctly his name. But, he was the talk of the night. People clapped their hands, blew whistles and chanted his name everywhere and every time he appeared in the arena which he paid back with his traditional Japanese bow in appreciation of his fight which he finished in a blink of an eye in a very spectacular and stunning fashion.
Japanese middleweight Nobuhiro Ishida (23 wins (8KO), 6 losses, 2 draws) knocked out, yes knocked out the previously undefeated and knockout artist American James Kirkland (27 wins (24KO), 1 lost, 0 draw) in the first round of their scheduled 8-round bout. The first of the three falls could have been a slip or out of balance after being hit. But not the second one when Ishida threw a combination and not the third and last one at 1:52 when Kirkland was hit by another combination which referee Joe Cortez lost no time in sort of pinning down Kirkland to stop him from standing up and receiving more punishment from Ishida.
The 6?1? but 35-year old Ishida taught Kirkland how to throw punches in succession and he taught him good. He was like a giant toying with a much shorter Kirkland at 5?9?. He threw 49 power punches and connected with 15 that produced those three knockdowns as compared to Kirkland who threw 21 power punches with only 8 connected.
Boxing fans were reminded of Manny Pacquiao who burst into the boxing limelight on June 23, 2001 when he TKO?d Lehlohonolo Ledwaba in the 6th round of their scheduled 12-round IBF super bantamweight championship at the same venue, MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada also officiated by Joe Cortez. Pacquiao, who? That was when the Pac-man became the talk of the town and the rest is history.
Oscar De La Hoya paid tribute to Ishida by thanking him first for coming over to the United States to fight in spite of the calamities that befell Japan recently and until now. Ishida, through the interpreter, thank Golden Boy Promotions for giving him the opportunity to fight in America.
Out of sheer joy and satisfaction for the big and successful event and with the way Ishida fought and won, Mr. De La Hoya announced at the post-fight press conference that every penny of profit from the pay-per-view will be donated to the Japanese relief fund. Thus, Ishida impressed to everyone his being one of the Action Heroes to a Japanese hero and a new Asian hero, next to the Philippines Manny Pacquiao.
Boxing fans from now on will remember his name and will be chanting it as I-SHI-DA, I-SHI-DA. Better still like Pacquiao who is eating up his opponents like a ?Pac-man?, boxing fans will also be chanting TSU-NA-MI, TSU-NA-MI as he was like a tsunami that wrecked havoc and devastation to Kirkland.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rod Mijares.
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