…OPBF, WBO AP holds 154-pound belt
Written by Joe Koizumi
Photo: Naoki Fukuda
WBO #4, IBF #15 Takeshi Inoue (20 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw, 12 KOs), 153.75, barely clinched the OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific regional belts due to a majority draw (114-114 2 times, 115-113). Inoue fought a grueling 12 rounds at 153.25 against Australian southpaw veteran Wade Ryan (22-11-1, 8 KOs) on Monday in Tokyo, Japan. In a fierce battle that seemed to be scored using an open scoring system, the Japanese champions won 38-38 after the fourth inning, and 76-76 and 77-75 after the eighth inning. The stalwart Inoue, who had only lost out to Jaime Munguia and Tim Tzu overseas, scored with one solid shot at a time, while Ryan continued to land nimble but busy combinations. The match was tied at Australia's final push, and Inoue was unable to win by decision. Ryan logically deserves a rematch.
Undefeated tall flyweight Sho Nogami (3 wins, 0 losses, 2 KOs), 112 years old, aggressively dominated the match and won the vacant Japanese youth flyweight belt, coming off the canvas in the sixth round and winning a split decision (77-74, 76-75). In both cases, Nogami was 74-77 and his rival was 74-77, giving him eight wins over pre-fight favorite Kosuke Tomioka (7 wins, 4 losses, 6 KOs) at 111.5. Nogami took control from the start, dominating the match except for Tomioka's left uppercut that sent Nogami to the canvas in the sixth round. However, Nogami fought back in the seventh inning.
Undefeated rookie JBC #14 Ryusuke Sunagawa (3 wins, 0 losses, 2 KOs) 129.25 performed well at close range, defeating JBC #4 Narumi Yukawa (8 wins, 2 losses, 7 KOs) 129.25 almost at will, upset and surprisingly lopsided 8 There was a unanimous nod across the rounds (78-74 all). Sunagawa, who has an amateur record of 23 wins, 9 losses, and 8 stops, may be one to keep an eye on in the future.
Sponsor: World Sports Promotions.
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