Earlier today at Korakuen Hall we saw a new Japanese champion being crowned, along with a notable prospect extending their unbeaten run and the debut of a former amateur standout.
In a supporting bout we saw Kanta Yamauchi (9-4-1, 6) [山内寛太] found out what happens when a fighter over-looks Kenshi Noda (4-3, 3) [野田賢史], who had lost his previous 2. Coming in to this Yamauchi had won his last 6, and fought like a man full of confidence, but Noda quickly established himself, relying on his amateur boxing skills to land his crisp jab, and powerful 1-2's in the opening round. He began to land regular right hands and body shots in round 2 before forcing the referee to step in and save Yamauchi in round 3, when he was under intense pressure. The win really helps save Noda’s career, and despite being 4-3 he is, as Yamauchi found out, much better than his record suggests and should not be overlooked, especially given he was a very solid amateur before beginning his career as a professional.
Another former amateur standout who looked good on this card was Kosei Nogami (2-0, 2) [野上昂生] who scored a 2nd round TKO win over Thai visitor Sakda Langkabam (8-3, 6). Nohami looked sharp from the opening moments and landed a left hook followed by a body shot to score a knockdown in the opening round. In round two Nogami dropped his man again, with a combination of crisp, hard shots, that saw the referee wave the bout off. Given the relative lack of depth at Welterweight on the Japanese domestic scene Nogami is likely looking to be raced towards a title fight, and on this performance it really won't be long until he's facing highly ranked domestic competition. He looked sharp, quick, powerful, aggressive, and like a man with incredible potential.
On the subject of incredible potential, there is no doubting the potential of former female amateur standout Madoka Wada (1-0, 1) [和田まどか], who made her debut with a 3rd round TKO win over over Thai visitor Pimchanok Thepjanda (8-5, 5). The bout, the first time a Japanese female fighter had debuted in an 8 rounder, was a total mismatch with Wada starting fast and almost finishing the bout in the opening round with some solid head shots. In round 2 Wada continued to do as she pleased, and ended up dropping her Thai foe with a right hook. To her credit the Thai showed some toughness, getting back up and seeing out the round, though was unable to repeat the feat in round 3 when she was dropped by a land hand which closed the show. After the bout Wada explained that she started boxing to be the best amateur in the world, and whilst that didn't happen she is now hoping to become the best professional in the world. Wada, who twice won bronze medals in the World Amateur Championships, looked levels above her Thai foe here, and could be raced towards title fights across a number of weight classes.
In the main event we saw a new Japanese champion being crowned, as Fumiya Fuse (14-3, 3) [富施郁哉] stopped Taichi Sugimoto (10-2-3, 1) [杉本太一] for the Japanese Bantamweight title, which had been vacated by Seiya Tsutsumi. In the first round Fuse looked to control the distance, and landed a good straight left hand to the body. In round 2 Sugimoto looked to up his pressure, and tried to get close to Fuse, but struggled with the range and movement of Fuse, who was looking to land counter shots. Sugimoto continued to struggle to have any real success, and what he did get came at a price, as was seen in round 4 when he'd had a good round but was left wobbling at the bell from a counter left by Fuse. That was a sign of what was to come and in round 5 Fuse would drop his man with a straight, and although Sugimoto beat the count he was down again moments later, forcing the referee to wave the bout off.
Going into the bout Fuse was the #1 contender, Sugimoto the #2 contender, and sat at ringside was #3 ranked contender Riku Masuda (4-1, 4) [増田陸], who will likely have his eyes firmly set on Fuse and the Japanese title.
