Top Rank on ESPN: Naoya Inoue vs. Luis Esteban Nery Hernández & Masago Akui vs. Taku Kuwahara II RBR

Round 1 Kuwahara 10-9, close
Round 2 Akui 10-9
Round 3 Akui 10-9
Round 4 Akui 10-9
Round 5 Akui 10-9, close

Seigo like a lion stalking his prey, never breaking eye contact. Applying mental as well as physical pressure. aku letting his hands go a but more, still not finding too many openings, although he lands two hooks late on a retreating Akui, who idiotically pulled out with his hands down.

 

Wow, Kuwahara fights like hell to stay in touch in the fifth and wins it in the final seconds as Akui does a weird little hands down walkaway, fun round. Kuwahara still in this fight!

Kuwahara:1,5
Akui: 2,3,4,

 

Round 1 Kuwahara 10-9, close
Round 2 Akui 10-9
Round 3 Akui 10-9
Round 4 Akui 10-9
Round 5 Akui 10-9, close
Round 6 Akui 10-9

Akui out with renewed focus, zeroing in with that straight right like it's a laser guided missile. Both men trading blows to the ribcage. Akui still with the relentless pressure, landing sweeping hooks over the top with both hands. Taku flurries late, some of it found its mark, but too little too late.

 

I think Kuwahara confuses himself a bit when he has success. In the opening minutes of the sixth, he gets hit hard along the ropes and spends the rest of the first minute travelling or feinting to control the space. He needs something wild to get into this round and it gets it, out-fighting Akui in the second half of the round. This is a close, close round arguably should be drawn if there was a civilised scoring sytem - Akui nicks it for me in the first minute though.

Kuwahara:1,5
Akui: 2,3,4,6,

 

Round 1 Kuwahara 10-9, close
Round 2 Akui 10-9
Round 3 Akui 10-9
Round 4 Akui 10-9
Round 5 Akui 10-9, close
Round 6 Akui 10-9
Round 7 Akui 10-9

Aku out fast, lands a violent left hook, knocks him off balance, follows up with a right. Trap him in the corner, ripping him with hooks to the head, Taku flurries, might have cut Akui's eye. Akui undeterred, still snapping his head back with jabs, rights and nasty one twos.

 

Another fast, hard-punching controlling start from Akui. Kauwahara just isn't opening sensibly, he opens without a firm strategy and just gets handled. Now he has to box his way back. I thought he did well in the second minute but only in the sense that he fights his way into the contest. Not quite light work for Akui but getting there.

Kuwahara:1,5
Akui: 2,3,4,6,7,