Tomorrow fight fans at Korakuen Hall will see OPBF Lightweight champion Masahiro Suzuki (10-1-1, 7) [鈴木 雅弘] make his first defense of that regional title, a she takes on former Japanese Lightweight champion Shu Utsuki (13-1, 11) [宇津木秀], the man who gave Suzuki his one professional defeat.
Today, ahead of that bout which will headline the "20th WHO'S NEXT DYNAMIC GLOVE on U-NEXT", the two men took part in their weigh in, and both men made the 135lb limit with no issues at all.
On the scales Utsuki was well under the limit, at 134.25lbs. Notably Utsuki lost the Japanese Lightweight title last year, when he was stopped by Shuma Nakazato, and it’s clear he has learned from that bout, stating that he’s going to be more defensively aware, and has big plans when he wins. The hope, for Utsuki, is to win tomorrow and then unify with Japanese champion Hironori Mishiro (15-1-1, 4) [三代大訓] and WBO Asia Pacific champion Katsuya Yasuda (14-1, 9) [保田 克也].
The champion, looking to avenge his lone loss, came in under the limit, at 134.7lbs. He spoke to the media, and explained that he was focused on showing his growth and development, before adding "I don't care about titles or status. I'm happy that I can fight anyone I want to. I don't care about the title, I just want to enjoy being myself.” Which was a rather unusual comment for a fighter defending his title, but an interesting one showing that his focus is on enjoying his status as a boxer, rather than his status as a champion.
