Just moments ago a Taisei Promotions card at Osaka to an end, and whilst it wasn't the most amazing show of the year, it did showcase some of the future of Japanese boxing with 4 noteworthy bouts, and a pro-test bout, something we sadly don’t get to see publicly anywhere near as often as we’d have wished.
The first of the notable bouts ended up being the most interest of the 3 supporting 8 rounders, as Shunpei Odagiri (5-1, 3) [小田切駿平] got something of a scare against Thai visitor Anantachai Duanyai (3-3, 2). The scare came in the opening round when Odagiri was sent to the seat of his pants by a counter right hand. The knockdown secured the Thai the round, and some momentum, but he couldn’t replicate the success and was instead given something of a beat by Odagiri, who was more wary of the counters, and used his IQ to break down Duanyai, who's right eye was swelling after 3 rounds, and his body was clearly feeling the shots to the midsection in rounds 4 and 5, with his team pulling him out between rounds 5 and 6.
The second of the supporting bouts Shinsei Otani (10-2, 7) [大谷新星] score a predictable win over Thao visitor Surasak Chumkaew (4-3, 3). The gulf between the two was clear, with Otani carefully breaking down his man in the first 2 rounds, before landing a brutal body shot in round 3 that sent the over-matched Chumkaew to the canvas for the 10 count.
On the subject of brutal, the brutalest shot of the show came in the third supporting bout, as the enigmatic, and freakishly heavy handed, Takahiro Tai (8-1, 8) [田井宜広] almost beheaded the over-matched Marudet Chinsukeeporn (3-5, 3). Late in the opening round Thai hurt his man with body shots, and as the visitor looked to protect his midsection Thai landed a frightening left hook that turned out that caught his man on the chin turning out the lights and sending him down hard, to score one of the best KO's of the year.
Between Tai’s win and the main event we saw the pro-test bout of Daigoro Marumoto [丸元大五郎], who we believe was in the ring with Kyonosuke Kameda (14-3-2, 8) [亀田京之介]. In the opening round Marumoto looked tight, slow and a bit sluggish, though in rounds 2 and 3 it appeared he shook the nerves and showed that he genuinely is a promising prospect, and we’ve no doubt he will go places in the pros. He really went through the gears as the test went on, and although it wasn’t one of the most impressive tests we’ve seen it was a solid workout for someone who has got a lot of promise. Although not spectacular, we do love seeing these pro-tests being shown and credit to Daigoro and his father, Taisei who promoted the show, for allowing this to be shown to a global audience.
In the main event the highly touted Yuga Ozaki (8-0-1, 6) retain his WBC Youth Light Flyweight title, whilst also adding the WBO Asia Pacific title to his collection, with a frustrating and forgettable win over previously unbeaten Filipino Archiel Villamor (8-1, 4). The Filipino really was timid, waiting for Ozaki to make a mistake and doing little to draw a mistake. There was little in terms of baiting a lead or any offense at all from the Filipino in the early rounds with Ozaki picking up the points, without much coming back his way. In round 6 a counter from Villamor seemed to suggest he had some ambition, but it seemed to annoy Ozaki more than anything, with the Japanese fighter taking the fight to Villamor afterwards. That resulted in real excitement in round 6, as Ozaki tried to finish off his man, and dragged a fight out of Villamor, who showed some real grit and toughness. In round 7 Ozaki suffered a cut around his right eye, but continued to beat up Villamor, who’s best shot of the round came after the bell, following a sequence that saw Ozaki unload a very nice combination just moments earlier. Despite the cut Ozaki continued to control the action, looking sharp, controlled, and calm, and hiding whatever frustration he may have had, whilst waiting for an opportunity to land something big. That chance came in round 9, when he rocked Villamor. The Filipino showed some good survival skills, but when hurt again later the same round the referee stepped in. In isolation it was an early stoppage, but when taken with in the context of the bout, the one sided action and the lack of real hunger from Villamor it seemed the right call from the referee, especially with Ozaki landing more and more, and Villamor doing little to try and turn the tide of the action.
