Yuki Kondo and Kiyotaka Shimizu both retained their King of Pancrase titles and Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday. For the former, it wasn’t in the fashion that one would hope.
Kondo fought to a draw with the third-ranked Yuji Hisamatsu, circling backward for three rounds and occasionally throwing a cautious strike in a snoozer. Hisamatsu pressed forward but his striking was too unpolished to phase Kondo who responded with counter body kicks and straight punches but neither fighters was at all effective. All three judges ruled it a draw, and the sponsors who were quite literally asleep at ringside, ruled it a bore.
Kiyotaka Shimizu was much more impressive in his retention, staying in the pocket and striking with Isao Hirose. It was battle of fine slips and counters and Shimizu was constantly better by the slightest of margins and was good enough to open a gaping wound over Hirose’s eye to get the doctor stoppage in the second.