Earlier today at the iconic Korakuen Hall fans saw touted youngster
Hinata Maruta (9-1-1, 7) [丸田 陽七太] claim his latest victory, shutting out the the game but over-matched Coach Hiroto (13-3-2, 4) [小内義人] over 8 rounds.
The bout really wasn't the most exciting, and that was seemingly be design from Maruta who boxed really well behind his jab, showed off his movement, his speed and ring IQ but boxed safely, showing the same lack of urgency that has been criticised in the past.
Although Maruta lacked urgency he wasn't inactive, instead he was just fighting comfortably behind a busy and sharp jab. There wasn't a great deal of follow up to the jab, with big right hands a rarity, but there was no need to take risks here and potentially suffer some sort of injury. Instead it was a conscious performance by Maruta against an experienced but slower, older, smaller opponent.
Hiroto, to his credit, did try to fight, and did try to make a go of things, but all too often found himself out of range, and then being pinged in the face by Maruta's razor like jab, which really was the story of the fight.
After the bout Maruta made it known he was wanting to get a title bout, and the 8 rounds here will have served as a decent bout to sharpen his tools. He looked good and sharp, but there was a feeling that there was much more for him to show than he did here. It was clear he was levels above Hiroto, but was also happy to take a clear decision, and get some rounds in the bag.
For Hiroto, who hadn't fought in over a year, the bout will have helped him shake some ring rust, but it's hard to imagine him making any noise of the domestic scene going forward.
For fans wanting to watch this, the bout is now available on
Boxing Raise.
(Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)
