Earlier today the East Japan Boxing Association announced their award winners for the month of June, naming winners for all 3 awards.
The MVP for the month was announced as Tyson Koki (16-6-3, 13) [王杉康輝] following his remarkable come from behind win against Korean fighter Deok No Yun (8-2, 6) [윤덕노] on June 25th to claim the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title. For fans who missed this bout Tyson was down very early on and looked on the verge of being stopped before landing a brutal counter and dropping Yun for the count to claim the win, and the regional title, in 75 seconds of brutal, violent chaos.
The Fighting Spirit was also won by a newly crowned regional champion Yamato Hata (15-2, 14) [波田 大和] added the award to the OPBF Super Featherweight title, which he won on June 1st when he stopped Kosuke Saka (23-8, 20) [坂 晃典] in 3 rounds. The win for Hata was a huge one for his career, and it’ll be interesting to see how he builds on this career best win.
The Newcomer award was won by teenager Yuta Sakai (1-0, 1) [坂井 優太], who looked sensational when he stopped Korean fighter Ji Yong Kim (3-2-1, 1) [김지용] back on June 25th. The 19 year old, hotly tipped as a future world champion, looked like a very special talent here, and it’s clear he’s going to be a major face for Japanese boxing over the next 15 or so years. One to keep a very, very close eye on going forward.
