By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda
It was truly a shocker in terms of an upset result as well as too quick a demolition. WBC#3, IBF#4 ranked OPBF bantamweight champ Keita Kurihara (17-8-1, 15 KOs), 117.75, stunned the crowd at Ariake Arena (established for the previous Tokyo Olympic Games) as he fell three times at the hand of Filipino veteran Froilan Saludar (34-7-1, 23 KOs), 117.5, at just 60 seconds of the first round and yielded his regional belt in a scheduled twelve on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. Saludar’s opening overhand right effectively had the champ rubbery legged and had him sprawling to the canvas on three occasions. Gunning for a shot at the WBA bantam belt against compatriot Takuma Inoue, Kurihara might be too nervous and stiff in the opening session, and badly hit the deck time and again.
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One guy had 7 losses, the other 8. Was it really an upset? Both look like journeymen to me.
Definitely. I knew Kurihara wasn’t even a top 25 guy.
Kurihara sure didn’t know how to defend against that right hand. He got smashed with it over and over while it lasted. He may have been buzzed badly enough from the first that he lacked any practical defense.
Wow what a fighter