TBS Japan: Kazuto Ioka vs. Kōsei Tanaka & Yuki Strong Kobayashi vs. Daigo Higa RBR

This sort of thing just fills my heart with joy. Adaption and counter-adaption - Ioka does come forwards, having great success with hooks this round, punches it feels he shouldn't be landing. Is that blood on Tanaka's face? Tanaka for his part, fast, fast-handed retaliation to try to re-take control. Ioka is firm. Great round, great fight.

1: Tanaka
2: Ioka
3: Tanaka
4: Ioka

 

Round 1 Tanaka 10-9
Round 2 Ioka 10-9
Round 3 Tanaka 10-9
Round 4 Ioka 10-9
Round 5 Ioka 10-8

Brutal knockdown, I love it!!!

 

Holy ****, Ioka down on a counter. He is in command now.

1: Tanaka
2: Ioka
3: Tanaka
4: Ioka
5: Ioka, with KD.

 

Round 1 Tanaka 10-9
Round 2 Ioka 10-9
Round 3 Tanaka 10-9
Round 4 Ioka 10-9
Round 5 Ioka 10-8
Round 6 Ioka 10-8

Another brutal knockdown, but Tanaka came back late.

 

Absolutely masterful from Ioka. He doesn't rush the sixth, he doesn't push, he just boxes with cool economy, landing hurtful, controlled shots on a fighter who is rushing himself. The result: a near identical KD to the one in five. Tanaka is in very bad trouble against a cool-head. He is not hurt in a meaningful sense - he's coming on and arguably wins the rest of the round - but this is a catastrophe in terms of strategy and on the cards.

1: Tanaka
2: Ioka
3: Tanaka
4: Ioka
5: Ioka, with KD.
6: Ioka, with KD.

 

Round 1 Tanaka 10-9
Round 2 Ioka 10-9
Round 3 Tanaka 10-9
Round 4 Ioka 10-9
Round 5 Ioka 10-8
Round 6 Ioka 10-8
Round 7 Ioka 10-9

Closer, but cleaner work from Kazuto.

 

This is such a wonderful advertisement for experience and for seasoning. Ioka has not one grain of panic or urgency in him. He is sticking to his plan and using Tanaka's urgency against him, out-hitting him in the pocket. Tanaka does very good bodywork in the seventh though, a great round fir him considering - I still think Ioka out-punched him though in what is a closer, more arguable round.

1: Tanaka
2: Ioka
3: Tanaka
4: Ioka
5: Ioka, with KD.
6: Ioka, with KD.
7: Ioka

 

Round 1 Tanaka 10-9
Round 2 Ioka 10-9
Round 3 Tanaka 10-9
Round 4 Ioka 10-9
Round 5 Ioka 10-8
Round 6 Ioka 10-8
Round 7 Ioka 10-9
Round 8 Ioka wins by KO

MOTHER****ING LEGEND!!!!!!!

 

Wtf, that's either very good refereeing or very bad refereeing.

Sensational from Ioka.