Pancrase: 2009 CHANGING TOUR Title Contenders Kawamura and Kanai Talk at Open Workout

On Dec 2, PANCRASE 2009 CHANGING TOUR title match contenders Ryo Kawamura and Ichiro Kanai held an open workout at Golds Gym in Harajuku, Tokyo, joined by Kenji Arai, fighting on the event's main card. The three fighters took turns in single 2min sparring rounds before the last Pancrase event of the year.

Kanai, competing in the main event against fellow middleweight Izuru Takeuchi, said, "I first heard that I was the main event at the signing ceremony, and honestly it took me by surprise. I'm honored to have the last fight in the CHANGING TOUR, and I hope to live up to the crowd's expectations for the main event." On the champion, Takeuchi, Kanai said, "he's a strong fighter, but those are the kind of fighters you have to beat to be the champ. [on Takeuchi struggling in his last fight] That was his first fight in a while, and the fact that he made in through it was big. I won't be facing the same Takeuchi as last time."

The light heavyweight champ, Kawamura, facing Shosuke Inoue in his title fight, said, "I always feel great before each fight. This title match is a semi-final, but I want to have a good performance to earn a fight with Kanai. The name of the tournament is 'CHANGING TOUR,' and I would like the champion to 'change' in the main event."

(Source: www.kamipro.com)