Boxers From Hawaii Aim For Shelby Titles

Enthusiastic ring followers in the Japanese-American Combat Team don't believe in pulling their punches. They are confidently predicting that their newly-formed boxing team will win the championship of Camp Shelby.

The team, which was organized under the direction of Lt. Roger (Slugger) Smith, a former tackle at the University of Hawaii, started training this week. The team has a wealth of material in every weight division up to and including middle weight, and the fighters are working hard to live up to their backers’ prediction.

Acting as co-coaches of the boxers are Pvt. Ken Nobori, 1940 Hawaiian A.A.U. middle. weight champion who was on the Hawaiian team that swept the national A.A.U. tournament at Boston three years ago, and Pvt. Richard Chinen, colorful bantam who tutored three members of the unit to titles in the Mid-Pacific combat zone tournament held shortly before their departure from Hawaii. Chinen turned professional in 1942 and had four fights, winning all.

Most promising among the team members are privates Wally Nagao, a fast flyweight; and Anki Hoshijo, hard- hitting bantam; and Richard Kato, lanky middleweight. Two other team members who advanced to the finals in the Mid-Pacific tournament are Pvt. Jo Matsunaga, bantamweight; and Pfc. Katsu Taosaka, lightweight.

Bantamweights are additionally well represented by Privates Tsuneshi Maruo, Roy Nakamine and Henry Oshiro. Ring dopers in Hawaii touted Maruo as one of the classic fighters of his weight in the islands. Nakamine is an aggressive fighter who wheels a menacing left hook of the Jack Dempsey school. Oshiro, territorial A.U. and Hawaii Catholic Youth Organization champion in 1941, is the most experienced boxer on the team.

Fighting for lightweight honors will be Wallace Fukeda, rated class I in the Hawaiian A.A.U. tournament, and several dark horses. Welterweights that will bear watching are “Shangy” Sugano, three-time Hawaii CYO champion, and “Fat” Onaga who holds a class II A.U. rating.

In addition to the stars named, a number of “unknowns” both from Hawaii and the mainland are striving for places on the team.