Headlining at Korakuen Hall a week from Saturday. The meticulously coiffured southpaw, who is currently the Japanese super bantamweight champion, will finally get the chance to scratch a seven year itch & earn redemption with this rematch against his journeyman compatriot. Wake has gone 15-1 (12) since their eight-round battle at featherweight in 2012, including a very respectable two-year reign as Oriental & Pacific super bantamweight champion, making five defenses before vacating and never losing the belt in the ring. Nakajima has meanwhile gone 10-6 (5), so you would think he was on a poorer run of form as well as naturally winding down, 34 being on average the outer limit of efficacy in this weight range. On paper, too, Nakajima's best result in that span of several years (dating to his triumph over a green Wake) has been a mild upset over Filipino southpaw Dennis "The Scorpion" Tubieron. He did, however, just last April push Marjohn Kiunisala Yap to his limit challenging for the OPBF bantamweight title. I scored it a draw and thought Yap - of whom I'm quite a big fan - was the recipient of some generous scorecards. Yap went on to give Takuma Inoue a creditable struggle in a WBC bantamweight world title final eliminator. This is one I'm really hoping to catch. Will post TV details as I ascertain them.
Wake isn't the Japanese champion, he vacated the belt ahead of the Champion Carnival (Nakagawa Vs Tamura will fill the vacancy this weekend) Will be on G+ BTW Strongly favouring Wake, by stoppage, mid to late rounds Love the under-card for this one, two really good supporting bouts!
No footage of Sugita to share (it's all on boxingraise) but I'm a HUGE Reiya Abe fan (he's getting a Japanese title fight in May!) This content is protected This content is protected
Yeah, this is being fought above the Featherweight limit, Abe couldn't get a fellow contender in the ring last year to fight in a "Japanese title challenger decider bout" (****ing wordy way of saying eliminator), so will be facing Taiki Minamoto on May 1st (1st or 4th can't remember, CBA to check )...barring cuts that wont heal or whatever. Sugita won like 110 amateur bouts before turning pro (proper accomplished fighter) his twitter is wonderfully @POLICEBOXER110 A Japanese police worker can't be paid for a second job, so he can't keep his purses which is pretty unique I guess