TOKYO, Jan. 29 – While the Japanese Sports Media followed Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova’s arrival in Tokyo’s Narita Airport, my partner Stephen Martinez and I were once again back in Korakuen Hall to smell some blood of a SHOOTO show.
(You need to use bit of your imagination to enjoy my pictures. But if you look at those fighter as naked woman with fight shorts, you used too much imagination. Be careful! Don’t enjoy too much! You’re gonna regret it.)
All right, let’s finish the useless prologue and let’s get down to business.
Once House of Pain’s one and only big hit “Jump Around” played in the hall, Kotetsu Boku showed up calmly and very confidently, and stepped in the ring. On the other side, Ryan Bow entered the ring to Ludacris’ “Move.” I was very excited watching both of them entering the ring. That made me ready to observe the incredible rumble.
In this three five-minute round fight, Boku tried to keep the fight standing, while Bow tried to take Boku down and look for ground game. Bow showed off so many great wrestling takedown techniques, but most of his action was defended by the finely tuned Boku.
Ryan’s biggest chance during the fight came in the first round when he almost submitted Boku with a Kimura. But Boku managed to defend the attack so Bow quickly switched his strategy from submission to mount punches. Boku escaped from underneath the mount but Ryan controlled Boku and earned the back-mount position. This was the part that Ryan had biggest chance.
After this series of offensive move in round one, Bow’s attack faded while Boku’s attack began to work. Boku connected with lots of punches and kicks, using his size advantage, and that made Bow’s offensive option smaller.
OK, folks … think. What if you can’t really out-box someone in an MMA fight? What if you have the body-size disadvantage. What would you do? Use a “drop kick” like Ikuhisa Minowa? No, that can be used only by a Japanese fighter.
So it was very natural that Bow chose go for takedowns one after another. But that made Ryan taste Boku’s knees later in the third round. Seems like Bow was in one of those vicious cycles because he struggled to find a way to attack Boku in the ring. This situation made Boku feel more comfortable in the ring for sure.
Once Boku got some distance from Ryan, he danced in the ring with those Muhammad Ali steps, and it wasn’t only once, but many times. Yeah, Boku was a bit like Ali in this fight. If I can paraphrase a famous line, I’d express it like, "Float like a bee, and sting like a bee." He belongs to Kid Yamamoto's team "Killer bee," and even his hair was colored like a bee.
(Yo! Yo! “Ali” and “Bee” are the key to be G. No wait, wait … he ain't G but Bee. Then I will call his a style of "Ali B.” Peace! – Banana Ice, 2005)
When the ring announcer called Boku as the winner after three rounds of fireworks, the contrast between the two fighters is still very clearly on my mind. Bow just sat down in his corner with a frown on his face, like he just received a very painful liver shot. And Boku, still looking fresh, walked up to the Bow’s corner with a huge smile to say “thank you.”
Bow and Boku brought everything in the ring and fought from their guts. Sure Bow lost but they both succeeded to chip their name on the history of SHOOTO, as this bout was for the first Pacific Rim welterweight title. And the fight was nothing but a war. Both of them made it to the final and made history. So everybody, please give a warm hand to those gentlemen from Purebred.