ORIENT UPDATE
By Joe Koizumi
As of June 1, 2000

WBA LIGHT KINGPIN SERRANO TAKES ON EX-130 LBS. CHAMP HATAKEYAMA ON JUNE 11

Venezuelan jabber GILBERTO SERRANO, 19-4-2, 16 KOs, will risk his WBA lightweight throne against ex-WBA super-feather ruler TAKANORI HATAKEYAMA, 22-1-2, 17 KOs, in Tokyo on June 11.

Hatakeyama once attempted to hang up his gloves for good after he lost his 130-pound title via bitter 5th round TKO by Mongolian Lakva Sim in June of the previous year. This is his first appearance since his forfeiture of the title.

Serrano, 6 years his senior at 30, captured the WBA belt by halting Italian Stefano Zoff in the 10th in Las Vegas last November. The Venezuelan upright stylist barely kept his title here, as he hit the deck twice in the opening canto but fought back hard to stop Japan's bull-fighter Hiroyuki Sakamoto in the 5th last March. Serrano revealed his vulnerability, but also displayed his versatile left hand with which he bloodied Sakamoto into submission.

Hatakeyama has been lately trained by Rudy Hernandez, elder brother of ex-WBA and WBC 130-pound champ Genaro, and may improve his upper body mobility. If the Japanese effectively attack the champ to deprive him of stamina, he may have a chance to wrest the title. But if Serrno finds his range with his excellent left early, he will outjab and outpunch him to make it a lopsided affair.

VEERAPOL DEFENDS WBC BANTAM TITLE AGAINST NISHIOKA ON JUNE 25

Thailand's VEERAPOL NAKORNLUANG-PROMOTION, 26-1, 19 KOs, will put his title on the line against Japanese hard-hitting southpaw TOSHIAKI NISHIOKA, 20-2-1, 12 KOs, in Takasago City, Japan, on June 25.

Veerapol, making his 4th defense, dethroned Japanese superstar Joichiro Tatsuyoshi on a 6th round demolition in Osaka in December, 1998. Nishioka, an upcoming lefty, is a harder puncher than his record indicates, having iced 9 victims in his last 12 bouts.

Veerapol displayed his talent in lopsidedly whipping the WBC top contender, lefty Adan Vargas in his previous defense in Thailand last March. Vargas was just a disappointment before the craty champ, having left his fighting spirit and zip in Mexico. Nishioka may show a much better performance against Veerapol, 8 years his senior at 31, but we cannot deny the Thailander is a positive prefight favorite due to his superior experience and better defensive ability. The taller and younger Nishioka, with a suspect chin, may have a chance to beat him, if he makes a good start and take a leadoff.

CHOI DEFENDS WBC LIGHT FLY BELT AGAINST THAILANDER ON JUNE 17

YOSAM CHOI, WBC light fly champ, will make his first defense since he upset Thailand's Saman Sorjaturong on a suprisingly onesided decision in Seoul last October and meet Thailand's CHART KIATPETCH in Seoul.

It's a great disappointment that Choi, 21-1, 10 KOs, failed to defend his prestigious title for no less than eight month, which makes the WBC president Jose Sulaiman furious as he wishes more activity of every WBC champion. But Choi's manager/promoter Madam Youngja Shim finally decided to promote her boy's in his home turf.

Choi is a busy puncher, if not a hard-hitter, who usually displays good workrate in outhustling his opponent with his favorite combinations from all angles. The Korean will overwhelm the Thailander and deck his first defense.

UNBEATEN WBC SUPER-FLY CHAMP CHO FACES TOKUYAMA IN OSAKA ON AUGUST 27

Elongated footworker INJOO CHO, 18-0, 7 KOs, will come back to Japan to defend his WBC super-fly title against OPBF champ MASAMORI TOKUYAMA, 21-2-1, 5 KOs, in Osaka on August 27.

Cho already scored 5 defenses to his credit, when he kept his throne on a onesided decision over Mexican Julio Cesar Avila in Seoul on May 14. Cho is a very elusive speedster who dethroned Filipino southpaw Gerry Penalosa and defeated him on points again in their rematch last January.

Tokuyama is also a speedster who once upset ex-WBA and WBC champ Hiroki Ioka on a 5th round TKO and plunged him into retirement in December, 1998. He acquired the vacant OPBF belt by barely outscoring Thailand's Pone Saengmorakot last September, and kept it twice by beating Korean champ Kangwoong Lee and stopping Indonesian veteran Jack Siahaya.

It will be a good fight of the similar stylists, but Cho may be superior with his ring experience in fighting name opponents. Tokuyama's chance will consists in his tremendously good start to befuddle and frustrate the more skillful Korean, otherwise Cho will give him a lesson with his excellent counterpunching.

-- Joe Koizumi
japjoe@t3.rim.or.jp
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