Kimura, Tanaka pass medical exam of WBO 112lb title bout

Report, photos by Joe Koizumi

A sensational confrontation of Japanese compatriots with the WBO flyweight belt on the line is coming soon on Monday (our national holiday; the Autumnal Equinox) in Nagoya, Japan.

The defending champion Sho Kimura (17-1-2, 10 KOs), 29, will face the mandatory challenger, two-division WBO titlist, unbeaten Kosei Tanaka (11-0, 7 KOs), 23, at the Takeda Teva Ocean Arena with the capacity of some 4,000 seats near Nagoya port. They today (Saturday) faced for the first time prior to the title competition—at the medical examination at the CBC Television.

They were diagnosed to be physically fit to fight their important bout, and the results of physical measurement were as follows:

Sho Kimura vs. Kosei Tanaka
Height: 164.8 cm/164.7 cm 5’5”/5’5”
Reach: 169.5cm/164cm 66.7”/64.6”
Neck: 37.6 cm/35.5 cm 14.8”/14.0”
Chest: 85 cm/83.2 cm 33.4”/32,8”

Japanese boxing fans concentrate our great attention to this anticipated showdown. Will Tanaka realize his third coronation unbeaten in his twelfth bout—superior to the current record-holder Lomachenko’s 11-1 mark thereupon, or will Kimura have the enfant terrible taste his first setback?