By Jake Donovan


 


Never question the heart of a champion, least of all that of Japan’s Daisuke Naito.



Perhaps the most overlooked of all lineal champions, 34-year old Naito successfully defended his flyweight crown for the 5th time with a unanimous decision win over China’s Xiong Zhao Zhong on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan.



Scores were 114-111, 114-110 and 113-111.



There was nothing easy about the win, with Naito (35-2-2, 22KO) forced to recover from a sixth round knockdown as well as cuts over both eyes to rally back and hang on for the win.



Both fighters weighed in at the flyweight limit of 112 lb.



The fight comes on the heels of bizarre circumstances. It’s not all that uncommon for a fight to change locations at the last minute. More often than not, the fight remains in the same general region, or at least in the same country.



Not so with this title fight, which was originally to take place in Shanghai, China. The promoters were forced to relocate to Tokyo, Japan just three days prior to the opening bell, due to what various reports described as promoter-related issues.



Zhao Zhong, who stands just 4’11” and has been a pro for only three years, falls to 12-2-1 (8KO) after coming up short (no pun intended) in his first world title bid.



Naito is now 8-0-1 since his last loss, a 7th-round technical decision against Pongsaklek Wonjognkam in 2005, a loss he would avenge two years and four fights later to wrest the lineal flyweight crown.



Wonjongkam still owns scoreboard on Naito; the former long-reigning flyweight king is 2-1-1 over his Japanese rival, including a 34-second knockout just over a year into a title reign that would see 17 defenses over a span of more than four years.



That Naito was on the wrong end of the quickest knockout in flyweight title fight history only adds to his ability to put the past behind him and continue to persevere.



Just four months shy of his 35th birthday, Naito becomes the oldest Japanese boxer in history to successfully defend a world title, and second only to Takashi Koshimoto to possess one. Koshimoto defeated In Jin Chi for a portion of the featherweight crown just three weeks after his 35th birthday, though he lost the title in his first defense and subsequently retired.



With the number of paydays immediately within Naito’s reach, retirement is hardly an option at the moment. A potential fifth fight with Wonjogkam is a possibility; the Thai fighter claimed an interim title with a decision win over Julio Cesar Miranda last month in Thailand.



An all-Japan super fight with wildly popular Koki Kameda also continues to loom. Kameda fights for an interim version of a separate alphabet title next month in Mexico. A win puts the Japanese southpaw in prime position for the biggest fight of his young career, which in turn would provide Naito a lovely nest egg. 



Whatever he next chooses let it be known that neither knockouts, facial cuts nor a complete change of scenery will scare away Daisuke Naito, who continues to stand the test of time.



Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.