ARISAWA IMPRESSIVELY STOPS SHUDO November 13, 2003 TOKYO, JAPAN - Ex-Japanese national 130-pound champ Koji Arisawa (30-2-2, 22 KOs), 132.25, decked his tune-up go prior to his attempt to regain his belt from WBC #9 ranked champ Nobuhito Honmo next January, as he impressively outjabbed and outpunched #4 ranked lightweight Hideki Shudo (19-7-1, 12 KOs), 131.75, swept all rounds and finally dropped him with a flurry of punches to prompt the referee's intervention at 2:40 of the fifth round on Thursday night in Tokyo, Japan. The tall and handsome hard-puncher is still popular here, and the JBC's top contender will be expected to win back his belt from the fast-moving jabber Honmo in the Carnival of Champions in 2004. Undercard: Rugged Satoshi Usui (14-8-4, 5 KOs), 115, floored stylish but fragile Tomohiko Saito (8-4, 6 KOs), 113.75, with a countering right in the opening canto, and pounded out a unanimous nod (78-74, 79-73 and 78-75) over eight. Saito, a talented youngster with his advantageous height and reach, needs more physical power to overcome game infighters and enter the Japanese top ten. Promoter: Soka Arisawa Promotions. |