Earlier today we had a really interesting show from Korakuen Hall, thanks to Ohashi Gym, who looked to showcase 4 former amateur standouts, who were making their debuts, along with 2 title fights. Whilst the bouts weren’t all the most competitive we did see some youngsters showcasing the skills needed to be future stars, and a bout that really needs to be seen to be believed.
The show kicked off with unbeaten hopeful Takero Kitano (6-0-1, 3) [北野武郎] extending his unbeaten record, as he dropped Thai visitor Wutthichai Montri (3-2, 2) twice in round 4, to secure a KO4 win. Kitano looked a real handful here, and whilst the Thai was very limited, it was good to see Kitano get some rounds and then take him out.
One man who didn’t need any rounds to show was he could do was Ren Ohashi (1-0,1 ) [大橋蓮], who made very light work of Atthachai Prasoetsri (4-3, 2). Ohahsi had his man near the ropes and couldn’t miss with huge headshots, finally sending Prasoetsri down hard, with the Thai’s body left prone over the bottom rope. A really brutal knockout and a true announcement to to the pros for Ohashi following an excellent career as an amateur.
A second former amateur standout to debut was Shogo Tanaka (1-0) [田中将吾], who was given a genuine test by 2023 East Japan Rookie of the Year winner Ryunosuke Takaguma (8-3, 3) [高熊龍之介]. Tanaka, a stellar amateur, was dropped in round 1, though didn’t look to be hurt by the knockdown, and was pushed all the way through this 6 round, needing to rely on his sharp jab and excellent footwork to rebuild from a horror start, Tanaka was the more skilled through out, but Takaguma continued to press, and managed to get to Tanaka a few times, but not regularly enough to secure what would have been a massive upset.
A third notable amateur to make his debut on this card was Sora Tanaka (1-0, 1) [田中空], no relation to Shogo, who left an immediate impact as he stopped Dong Young Kim (3-5-1, 3) [김동영] inside a round. The “Tyson of Hama”, a nickname he’s acquired due to his similar style and body type to former Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, lived up to his moniker with an ultra aggressive performance that saw him pressing Kim and dropping him twice in just over a minute. Whilst this bout didn’t tell us anything about Tanaka’s biggest flaws, his defense which let him down in the amateurs, it was the sort of debut that makes it very clear that he’s going to be great fun to follow in the professional ranks
The final of the 4 debutants was Yuta Sakai (1-0, 1) [坂井 優太] who did as expected, dropping Korean fighter JiYong Kim (3-2-1, 1) [김지용] in the opening round, before forcing the towel come in to save Kim in round 2, as Sakai started to pick him apart with thunderous and clean headshots. From the opening bell Sakai looked like the star many in Japan are expecting him to become, and he barely got out of first gear. Sakai, who won the World Youth Championships and numerous national titles, looked like the future face of the Ohashi gym, and we wouldn’t be surprised at all by seeing him fast tracked in a similar way to stablemate Naoya Inoue [井上 尚弥].
The first of two title fights was chaos as Koren fighter Deok No Yun (8-2, 6) [윤덕노] made the perfect start to his an attempted defense of the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title as he dropped hard hitting Japanese challenger Tyson Koki (16-6-3, 13) [王杉康輝] inside 45 seconds. Koki barely beat the count and looked unsteady on his feet as Yun rushed in, cornering Koki and unloading until being caught by a brutal counter left hand that removed Yun from his senses just 75 seconds into the contest. Yun was out cold, with his legs twitching, in what was a crazy KO of the year contender and one of the most thrilling shoot outs we’ve seen this year.
The main event of the card was something of a whimper as Keisuke Matsumoto (11-0, 7) [松本 圭佑] scored his third defense of the Japanese Featherweight title, taking a clear decision over Yushi Fujita (12-10-4, 3) [藤田裕史]. Although Matsumoto took home the win, and did so with a wide margin on the score cards, he never really looked like he was the star he had long been groomed as. He was hurt by Fujita early in the bout, and looked rather flat at times, in a bout that he mostly controlled, without ever looking comfortable enough to fully apply himself. In many ways it felt like he was unmotivated, unthreatened and fighting down to Fujita’s level, rather than stamping his authority on the fight, and going for a statement victory. After 10 rounds it was 100-90 on all 3 cards, but a feeling of disappointment did seem to be coming from fans who expected more of the fighter many had followed since he was appearing on Fuji Tv show Mirai Monsters, as a baby faced teenager.
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