Chris John vows to KO Kimura with ‘dragon punch’

May the best man win: Chris John (left) of Indonesia poses with promoter Raja Sapta Oktohari (center) and challenger Shoji Kimura of Japan in Jakarta on Thursday. The WBA super featherweight champion is set to fight Kimura in Singapore on May 5. JP/Niken PrathiviDefending WBA super featherweight world champion Chris John says Shoji Kimura of Japan will face his lethal “dragon punch” when the pair spar in Singapore.

Chris, known as “The Dragon”, will defend his title for the 16th time at the Marina Bay Sands resort on May 5. squaring off against unheralded Shoji “Samurai” Kimura (24-4-2).

The undefeated Indonesian champion said he was confident the bout will help transform the city-state into a regional boxing hub capable of hosting global super-fights. 

“This is the Year of the Dragon, and, similar to my nickname I really want to achieve the maximum: either a KO or TKO of my opponent with my new deadly weapon: the dragon punch,” Chris told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday.

Despite collecting the WBA’s “Fighter of the Decade” award last week, Chris, who boasts a victory over highly regarded Mexican pugilist Juan Manuel Marquez, said he continued to struggle for recognition in the boxing world. 

Critics have said that Chris’ reluctance to fight in the US has restricted his pool of possible opponents and tarnished his 46-0-2 record, especially when compared to fellow Southeast Asian boxer Manny Pacquiao from the Philippines.

Pacquiao is a veritable household name in the sport, having collected world title victories in various weight divisions in bouts all over the US. 

To reach his target, Chris is set to fly to Perth, Australia, on Friday for “intensive training” at Harry’s Gym.

“It’s been quite hard to get videos of how [Kimura] fights off the Internet. We’re going to get those first before deciding on my strategy for the match,” said.

Meanwhile, speaking through a translator, Kimura, 34, said that the Singapore offered him a great opportunity. “This will be my second fight in featherweight, so I really want to make a favorable result. It doesn’t matter if it’s a KO or TKO. I just want to win.”

Kimura has boxed bantamweight since 1997, nailing his Japanese super-bantamweight title in 2004 when he beat Shigeru Nakazato in Tokyo.

In 2010, Kimura lost his belt after he was beaten by Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym of Thailand at Maha Sarakham, Thailand.

Following the loss, Kimura said that he decided to train for the entire year last year without a single bout in order to shift to featherweight class.

“In January, in my first ever featherweight bout, I beat Ryol Li Lee of Japan. So, I think I will have a better opportunity in featherweight in the future,” he added.

Chris nailed his first featherweight title in 2003 after outclassing Oscar Leon and earned his super featherweight title in 2009 in Las Vegas after beating American Rocky Juarez.

Also on the card in Singapore will be Indonesian hopeful Daud Jordan, 24, and Filipino Lorenzo Villanueva, 26, who will spar for a vacant International Boxing Organization world featherweight title.

“Hopefully, after the May 5 bout, Indonesia will have two world champions,” promoter said.

Daud is 28-2-0 with 22 KOs, while Villanueva, who is facing his first overseas bout, has racked up 22-0-0 with 21 KOs.