The Japanese Boxing Thread - Inoue wins; Olympic gold medallist Murata in action!

Results Round-Up: Kogawa Wins Japanese Flyweight Title

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- Light Welterweight Contender Valentine Hosokawa (Right) In Action -​

January 26th - Korakuen Hall, Japan
Former 'world' title challenger Takuya Kogawa (18-2, 10 KOs) successfully acquired the vacant Japanese flyweight title, defeating 30-year old and JBC #1 Shigetaka Ikehara (22-3-2, 18 KOs) via a hard-fought unanimous decision (96-94, 96-95 and 96-95). 26-year old Kogawa is looking towards another tilt at a 'world' title later this year.

The undercard featured 2008 lightweight rookie champion and JBC #2 Valentine Hosokawa (14-2-3, 5 KOs) and welterweight contender and JBC #3 Nobuyuki Shindo (11-1, 3 KOs). Hosokawa, 30, and Shindo, 25, were both in scheduled 8-rounders, but their inexperienced opposition from Thailand - each supposedly making their professional bow - provided little resilience and were routinely stopped in the the 2nd and 5th rounds respectively.

An intriguing super featherweight clash over 4 rounds seen Hiroyuki Sagehashi (4-5-2, 0 KOs) defeat Keisuke Ota (4-4, 1 KO) with a split decision (39-38, 39-38, 38-39). Being the home fighter might have just swayed this decision in Sagehashi's favour.

Super flyweight Kaname Tabei (9-5-1, 6 KOs) was also in action in a scheduled 8-round contest, stopping his Thai opponent (again making his debut apparently) in the 3rd round.

Overall it was a very successful show for the Miyata Boxing Gym, with their fighters collectively being 6-0 on the night.

January 27th - Korakuen Hall, Japan
The main event at Dangan 44 seen former national title challenger and JBC #2 super featherweight Mitsuya Omura (15-5-1, 11 KOs) stop Tomohisa Tagawa (7-9-3, 2 KOs) inside three of a scheduled eight rounds. 30-year old Omura will be gearing towards another crack at a national title later this year.

In the main supporting bout, former two-time Japanese title challenger Takashi Inagaki (14-10-1, 6 KOs) decisioned 29-year old Yoshinori Kanzaki (9-6-1, 4 KOs). The scores of 77-76, 78-75 and 78-74 all favoured the 25-year old Inagaki, who is currently ranked #6 at lightweight in Japan.

Super featherweight Hirotsugu Yamamoto (14-5-2, 2 KOs), ranked #9 with the JBC, was pushed to a close, but unanimous decision by 29-year old fellow contender Keiichi Izumi (9-5, 2 KOs). 28-year old Yamamoto won by scores of 77-76, 77-76 and 78-75.

JBC #10 light welterweight Yusuke Kikuchi (10-3, 4 KOs) continues to build towards a domestic title shot, stopping journeyman Kazuyoshi Kumano (25-12, 6 KOs) in the eight and last round of their bout. 24-year old Kikuchi is now just the fourth person to stop the 32-year old Kumano in 37 contests.

Fast-tracked flyweight Hiroki Sato rebounded from defeat last time out to stop 22-year old Ryutaro Taira (7-2-1, 3 KOs) in the fourth of a scheduled eight rounds. 25-year old Sato (5-2, 4 KOs) was formerly ranked #9 with the JBC, and this victory might push him back into the top 10.

Welterweight Keita Obara (4-1, 3 KOs) continued his fine run of form, producing a second round stoppage over the dangerous 25-year old Kengo Nagashima (10-7-2, 9 KOs). This is 25-year old Obara's fourth win on the bounce.

In a planned 4-rounder at lightweight, 24-year old Kenta Endo (4-2, 4 KOs) upset 23-year old Yusuke Tsukada (3-2, 3 KOs), winning with a stoppage in the second round.

 

A big card in Japan was announced yesterday to take place on the 6th April:

Shinsuke Yamanaka vs. Vic Darchinyan (WBC bantamweight title fight)
Takahiro Aoh vs. Terdsak Kokietgym (WBC super featherweight title fight)
Hozumi Hasegawa vs. Felipe Carlos Felix (10 rounder)

Full update to come...possibly...

 

Yuba wins fourth national belt; Nakagawa claims Japanese light middleweight title

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By Joe Koizumi

35-year-old veteran southpaw Tadashi Yuba (40-7-2, 30 KOs), 159.25, acquired his fourth national belt as he won the vacant Japanese middleweight throne by dispatching JBC top ranked Carlos Linares (8-2, 8 KOs), 160, a Japan-based Venezuelan, at 0:39 of the seventh round on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.

It was a grueling bout as both displayed what they had to such a fullest extent that they became apparently exhausted as the contest progressed. In the first three sessions it was Carlos, the younger brother of formerly two-time world champ Jorge Linares that was in complete command to have the crowd sense that it would be a matter of time. Linares had the elongated southpaw at bay with his fine showing of resistless aggressiveness. The tide amazingly turned in the fourth as Yuba, obviously behind on points, attempted a do-or-die attack and fortunately floored the aggressor with a solid left midway in the round.

Yuba, in the fifth, went all out for a kill to finish the affair and bring home the bacon then and there, but Carlos furiously fought back to hurt the Japanese lefty. The sixth witnessed Carlos decked again with a one-two combo of Yuba, who, however, suffered the Venezuelan’s retaliation. After a give-and-take extravaganza, in round seven, Yuba had the fading Carlos sprawling to the deck—for the third time in the bout—and the referee Tsuchiya tolled the fatal ten. Yuba has acquired his fourth national belt to his credit since he previously dominated the light, super-light and welter belts here. He is the first Japanese that accomplished the remarkable achievement as he is a very tall and hard-punching southpaw, even if unable to reach the world level. Carlos, still 22, may deserve a rematch.

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In another national elimination bout Daisuke Nakagawa (19-2-2, 15 KOs), 153.5, gained his second national belt in the 154-pound category, when scored a come-from-behind TKO victory over Yosuke Kirima (14-2-2, 10 KOs), 153, with a single left hook at 0:58 of the tenth and final round. Nakagawa once held the national welter belt and moved up to the super-welter division to celebrate his second coronation.

Ex-world challenger, WBA#10 lightweight Takashi Miura (22-2-2, 16 KOs), 135, earned a unanimous nod (78-75, 78-74 and 77-76) over game Filipino youngster RJ Ano-os (7-3-1, 2 KOs), 134.5, over eight.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/yuba-wins-fourth-national-belt-107575

 

Fight is tomorrow and here's a weigh-in picture (still not sure who the opponent is...):

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By Joe Koizumi

OPBF top ranked Japanese bantam champ Ryosuke Iwasa (11-1, 8 KOs), 118, registered his initial defense as he annihilated JBC#2 contender Yuki Murai (20-16-4, 6 KOs), 117.5, with a single southpaw left to the button at 3:00 of the opening session on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.

It reminded us of an unforgettable first-round demolition of Hiroyuki Ebihara over Pone Kingpetch with a similar southpaw left shot producing a dramatic coronation of the world flyweight championship in 1963. Iwasa, 22, had failed to win the national belt from current WBC ruler Shinsuke Yamanaka via tenth-round stoppage despite showing a grueling performance last March. As Yamanaka renounced the belt, Iwasa entered an elimination bout with Jerope Mercado to win the vacant throne. In the first defense Iwasa, a tall lefthander, exploded a picture-perfect left to the pinpoint of the chin, dropping the game challenger to the deck with a thud. Murai, 32 in his fortieth bout, desperately raised himself up and looked almost ready to go on. The ref showed a gesture of “come on”, so did Murai step forward. He then abruptly fell forward face first to the canvas to have the third man toll the fatal ten. Iwasa is gunning for a rematch with Yamanaka next time with the world belt on the line in the future.

Undercard: Unbeaten super-middleweight Hiromitsu Miura (9-0, 4 KOs), 171.75, connected with busy combinations upstairs and downstairs, and sank Wahid Khan (13-15-5, 8 KOs), 172, from Fiji, at 1:44 of the second session in a scheduled eight.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/iwasa-keeps-japanese-118lb-belt-109592

 

Last I heard about Uchiyama was that they were trying to possibly secure a unification fight with Aoh, but he's tied up for his next two fights (Terdsak and a rematch with the Italian).

Not sure about Nishioka, although I'm sure Teiken plan to keep him fighting in the States as their 'figurehead' to branching out from Japan (if that's still the plan).

 

:hey

I've been following Iwasa since his win over Usui - I do think he's the real deal.

 

Tsuchiya should be fighting in about an hour's time.

The card's already onto its third bout and Tsuchiya is taking part in the 5th fight on the bill.

Previously on the card, JBC #6 Masamichi Nozaki (15-2) registered his 15th win in a row, outpointing Keita Nakano (7-8-3) over eight rounds. Scores were 78-75 across the board.

 

More results:

8 rounder; featherweight - Yuki Ogata (15-0-1, 3KOs) TKO5 Kazuhiro Kitano (7-6, 4KOs)

8 rounder; welterweight - Suyon Takayama (15-1, 6KOs) SD Toru Chiba (14-6-1, 11KOs)

Ogata is currently JBC #4 at feather, Takayama #2 at welter :good

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My translator when translating Suyon Takayama's name came out as, 'Total alpine trees' :huh

Edit:

Tsuchiya won in the 1st round! :happy