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

That's tragic.

R.I.P.

 

My preview of the Ioka-Yaegashi fight:

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For the first time in history, two boxers from Japan will clash in an attempt to unify a division, as unbeaten superstar Kazuto Ioka, WBC minimumweight champion, takes on the hard punching claimant of the WBA crown, Akira Yaegashi.

Devoid of both talent and depth, the minimumweight division generally lacks the necessary ingredients to get the juices flowing for even the most ardent boxing fan outside of Latin America and Asia. Ioka-Yaegashi, however, is an exception to the norm and is arguably the biggest fight in the division since the rematch between Ricardo Lopez and Rosendo Alvarez back in 1998. Not only that, but it is just the third time in history that an attempt at unifying minimumweight will take place in the division’s 25 year existence.

Champion vs. Champion

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Kazuto Ioka, a prodigious talent since his amateur days, has had a mercurial rise since entering the paid ranks. From decisioning the world ranked and tricky Takashi Kunishige in his third match-up, winning national honours in his sixth outing and then capturing the WBC championship a fight later, the 23-year old has certainly had his lofty ambitions matched by a steep learning curve. When Ioka won the WBC title from the-then unbeaten Oleydong Sithsamerchai, he achieved his main objective and surpassed the Japanese record shared between Nobuo Nashiro and Joichiro Tatsuyoshi for fewest bouts to a ‘world’ title.

The road to the top was not straight-forward, however. Initially starting out as a light flyweight, the Osaka native swiftly attained a high ranking with both recognised world governing bodies in Japan. Yet, despite this, landing a fight with one of the champions in the division proved futile. Hardened Mexican Omar Nino Romero was in advanced discussions to defend his title against Ioka, but unexpectedly dropped the WBC light flyweight title to the unheralded Gilberto Keb Baas. Negotiations then broke down with Baas’ representatives, leaving the Japanese speedster with very few options. Desperate to win a portion of the world crown within seven fights, Ioka and his team made a hazardous gamble in dropping down a weight division to challenge Oleydong Sithsamerchai.

Despite a struggle to make the weight, the gamble proved to be a masterstroke. One crunching left to the body in the fifth round rendered Oleydong defeated, whilst Ioka celebrated winning the WBC minimumweight belt, making Japanese boxing history and turning from an already popular figure in boxing to a megastar in his country. Perhaps most importantly, he could finally step out of his uncle Hiroki’s shadow.

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Although Ioka’s pathway to world glory was tricky, Akira Yaegashi’s was treacherous. A highly regarded amateur himself, Yaegashi’s career started remarkably similar to that of his rival, winning the OPBF crown five fights in to his pro career and stepping up for a crack at the WBC minimumweight title in his seventh fight.

In this case, that is where the similarities end.

His jaw broke as early as the second round, dropped in the tenth and thoroughly outclassed throughout, Yaegashi could only display heart and a solid boxing IQ in lasting the distance against Eagle Kyowa, the formidable champion at the time.

It took almost one year for the smiling assassin to return to action, recovering from an upset six-round majority decision loss against the late Masatate Tsuji to capturing and defending the Japanese title three times and amassing a credible 8-1 record since the loss to Kyowa. Deemed to be ready for another crack at world honours, the 29-year old was matched up with WBA champion Pornsawan Porpramook. In a thriller, Yaegashi pounded out a tenth round stoppage victory over the game, but ultimately outgunned Thailander to finally realise his dream of being ‘world’ champion.

Prediction for the fight

Both Ioka and Yaegashi like to bring the action, both can punch, and both can be dropped, which should be make for a highly entertaining encounter.

In the early stages, the contest is likely to be a battle of the jabs, a battle which Ioka should win due to his superior hand and foot speed. It should, however, develop into a war of attrition the further the contest goes on. Yaegashi has shown he can come through a gruelling battle before, something Ioka has yet to do in his nine fight career. If Yaegashi can escape the first six rounds without too much damage, he could press the action in the second half of the fight and cause the upset. It is also worth noting that Ioka was dropped late on in his contest with the rugged Heri Amol, so there is previous evidence that he is vulnerable the later the contest goes on.

Ioka has reportedly made the weight safely, which was a talking point beforehand due to his struggles in the past. Both men weighed in at the division limit of 105-pounds. Due to this, Ioka will more than likely go into the fight as a firm favourite against Yaegashi.

My prediction: Ioka to come through this test and stop Yaegashi in the middle rounds after a commanding performance.

:good

 

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/four-world-title-bouts-in-japan-on-dec-31-143228#more-143228

Takashi Uchiyama vs Bryan Vasquez
Yota Sato vs Ryo Akaho
Tepparith Kokietgym vs Kohei Kono
Ryo Miyazaki vs Pornsawan Porpramok

Four 'world' title fights, all taking place on December 31st.

Nice :yep