By Joe Koizumi
A shockwave of WBC bantam champ Hozumi Hasegawa’s annihilation by Mexican Fernando Montiel has extended as we now realize that the Japanese hero suffered a fracture on the jaw bone. It wasn’t produced by Montiel’s coup-de-grace, a devastating left hook, just prior to the 2:59 stoppage of the fourth but by an unrecognized punch during the opening session. The ex-champ reflected, saying “I began to feel an acute pain at the molar tooth in the first round when I took Montiel’s uppercut. I didn’t care and kept fighting. As the exam proved my jaw was broken, I realize it happened in the opening session.” He hurriedly returned to his native Kobe city and will undergo a surgery to fix it there. His manager/trainer Masato Yamashita strongly expressed his wish for a rematch with Montiel, though Hasegawa himself hopes to take a rest and consider what to do. Before his surgery is done, they will make a final decision on the dethroned champ’s future.
