Sidorenko Decisions Ikehara

Undefeated World Boxing Association bantamweight champion Wladimir Sidorenko (21-0-2, 7 KOs) defeated challenger Nobuto Ikehara (27-2, 19 KOs) by 12-round unanimous decision tonight at the Prefectural Gym, in Osaka, Japan. Sidorenko, 31, making his sixth title defense of his championship which he won in February 2005 with a win over Julio Zarate, used his superior inside fighting skills to pound out a decision over Ikehara. The final judges’ scores were 118-110, 116-112 and 119-110, all for Sidorenko. While the scores were fairly lopsided, the bout itself was far closer, with a lot of the action very close, making it difficult to tell who actually winning the rounds. Sidorenko, not much of a puncher, had to rely on his combinations and volume punching to win the rounds. However, he got hit an awful lot by Ikehara, and was lucky to escape with a victory.