WBC BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMP YAMANAKA DEFENDS AGAINST MEXICO'S "GUSANO" ROJAS IN JAPAN
By Carlos Costa
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 27 Aug 2012
Undefeated WBC bantamweight world champion Shinsuke Yamanaka (16-0-2, 11KO's) will make his second title defense against experienced Mexican former world champ Tom?s "Gusano" Rojas on November 3 in Sendai, Japan, announced the World Boxing Council (WBC) in its official web page.
Veteran "Gusano" Rojas (39-13-1, 26KO's), the current WBC #7 bantamweight, comes from a knockout win over countryman Manuel de los Reyes Herrera at the Palenque de la Feria in Culiac?n, Sinaloa.
Meanwhile, Yamanaka's first title defense was a 12 round unanimous decision victory over tough Armenian former champ Vic Darchinyan last April in Tokyo, a fight attended by this author. The fast and accurate Yamanaka brilliantly outboxed the ever charging "Raging Bull."
The popular veteran Darchinyan never stopped being a threat with his overhead attacks, but the 29 year-old Yamanaka had more than enough boxing resources to dominate the former world champ.
Yamanaka displayed a good right jab (Yamanaka is a southpaw) and defensive movements as well as speed and ring smart to score the necessary points to get his right hand raised by Panamanian referee Hector Af?.
See action photos of the Yamanaka-Darchinyan fight taken by this author.
The WBC bantamweight (118 lbs) world title clash Yamanaka-Rojas will take place in the historic coastal City of Sendai, Capital of Miyagi Prefecture, and is a production of Japan's top promoter Akihiko Honda of Teiken Promotions.
Filipino former world champ Malcolm Tunacao (30-2-3, 19KO's), currently based in Kobe, Japan, is rated WBC bantamweight #2.
Another Filipino based in Japan, Rolly Lunas "Matsushita" (30-8-1, 18KO's) born in Albay, Philippines, now living in Kanazawa Japan, is the WBC #8.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.
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