Just moments ago we saw the end of a stacked Japanese card that featured a domestic title bout, a regional title bout, a world title eliminator and two world title fights.
The card began with a Japanese Super Bantamweight title bout, as defending champion Toshiki Shimomachi (19-1-3, 12) [下町俊貴] defending his title against the dangerous Ryuya Tsugawa (13-2, 9) [津川龍也], in what was a very good technical bout. From the off it was clear that Shimomachi was looking to box on the outside, establish his southpaw jab and his reach, whilst Tsugawa was looking to land his bigger single shots, landing one notable right hand in the first round. In round 2 we began to see both landing straights, though the bout was at something of a slow and steady tempo, with both well aware of the other’s ability to counter. To end the second round Tsugawa did launch a big attack, but we saw some of Shimomachi’s trademark slipperiness.
In round 3 the tempo picked up as both put their foot on the gas more, and we began to say both landing combinations, with Shimomachi landing some excellent body shots as the round progressed and seemed to begin bullying Tsugawa at times. In round 4 it seemed like missing and being hit by counters was starting to frustrate Tsugawa who was struggling to land much clean whilst Shimomachi picked his moments well, though the challenger was the aggressor through the round. In round 5 Tsugawa had some of his best success early in the round, landing several clean headshots and a really good body shot, but then felt the return with interest, including a left hand that seemed to rock him.
After 5 rounds Shimomachi was leading 49-46 as the open scoring was announced. This lead to Tsugawa coming out fast in round 6 and landing some of his best shots to begin the round. It was his best round for a while, but Shimomachi never looked hurt, and it seemed like Tsugawa couldn’t keep up a high tempo all through the round, with Shimomachi continuing to land some of his own solid shots. Tsugawa again looked to dictate the tempo in round 7 and landed some solid shots through the round though a Shimomachi combination late in the round showed he was still there.
Having likely felt the gap on the score cards had closed Shimomachi looked to take control of the action again in round 8 landing his jab well and exchanging when more with Tsugawa. The exchanges turned out to be a bad idea as Shimomachi was caught by 2-solid shots up top and dropped onto the seat of his pants. Shimomachi got to his feet but seemed hurt the rest of the round, being bundled to the canvas soon after the knockdown and really needing time to clear his head. He managed to do so, and see out the round, as Tsugawa began to look like he was feeling the tempo of the round. The knockdown seemed to serve as a wake warning to Shimomachi, who was a lot more cautious in round 9, though had cleared his head, though Tsugawa seemed almost out of gas with the tempo being much slower through the round, which was a really hard one to call. That left the final round feeling incredibly important, and it was Tsugawa who looked to try and dictate the tempo of the action with more aggression than he had shown in round 9. That however wasn’t always the most effective and he kept getting tagged by clean, single shots through the round. After the bell we went to the scorecards, with Shimomachi taking the decision 96-93, twice, and 97-92, to record his third defense of the Japanese title.
Welterweight, where the hard hitting Jin Sasaki (18-1-1, 17) [佐々木尽] will be defending his OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific titles against Australian challenger Qamil Balla (15-2-1, 8). From the early going Balla looked massive in comparison to Sasaki, but it was clear that Sasaki wasn’t bothered by the psyche of his foe, as he pressed and pressured, looking to land bombs through the first round. Balla looked the more composed and technical fighter, but the pressure and aggression from Sasaki, as he walked down Balla, was the key to the opening 3 minutes, despite one or two good counters from Balla. In round 2 Balla suffered a cut over the left eye, from a clash of heads, which not only bled but almost instantly began to swell. Despite having a wounded target Sasaki was struggling to land clean up top, but a body shot seemed to hurt Balla who simply couldn’t force Sasaki to back off or give him any respect at all. The intense pressure from Sasaki seemed to be breaking down Balla who was looking for counters but could do little to slow the forward march of the Japanese youngster.
Sasaki continued to let his hands fly in round 3, quickly forcing Balla into the corner. Balla tried to fight out but quickly ended up in a different corner as Sasaki continued to hammer him with particularly brutal body shots. The resistance of Balla was being rapidly broken down before being dropped for the first time with a huge left hand up top. He was brave and got back to his feet but Sasaki was determined to take him out. To his credit the knockdown actually brought the best from Balla who landed some big shots of his own, but Sasaki walked through them whilst continuing to land spiteful shots and further break down the brave, but massively out gunned, Australian. To his credit Balla came out for round 4 and continued to launch big shots of his own, and actually had a very good opening minute to the round as he used his feet well to stay off the ropes more than he had. Sasaki’s work rate also seemed to completely drop off in the round, as he began to play with his food a bit rather than devouring his prey.
Balla looked like he was building his confidence as we came out for round 5, following a very good round 4 for him, that confidence build through the round as he switched stances, used combinations and continued to move, making Sasaki following him around the ring. That was until about 2 minutes into the round as Sasaki began to open up again and let his own shots fly, it wasn’t the same intensity as earlier in the fight, but it was clear he was still really dangerous. Despite the burst of aggression from Sasaki the round ended with a huge headshot from Balla which caught the eye as Balla likely took a second round. In round 6 all the momentum and confidence Balla had been building was taken away with a single right hand to the body which sent him staggering backwards and clearly feeling it. Sasaki jumped on him but couldn’t send him down as Balla’s toughness once again showed through. Balla recovered well, but was hurt again at the bell, and left with blood smeared all over his face.
Sasaki finally seemed to have had enough playing with his food in round 7 as he came out with more intent, landing a combination to the body before landing up top and following it up as Balla stumbled into the ropes and was dropped for a second time, with the referee instantly waving it off. Despite the win, and it was a good one, it again exposed the issues that Sasaki has. He seems to get bored at times, switching off offensively and still has the defensive flaws that have always been there. His power is brutal, and he still oozes the “superstar” energy, but the 23 year old really needs to tighten up defensively before seriously considering a world title fight. As for Balla, hats off to him, he proved his toughness, his bravery and his heart, and almost certainly won over fans watching him here.
The third bout on the show was, on paper, one of the most interesting as Ismael Barroso (25-5-2, 23) faced off with Andy Hiraoka (24-0, 19) [平岡アンディ] in a WBA eliminator. Despite being an interesting one on paper, it never really caught fire, as we got a very smart gameplan from Hiraoka rather than a fire fight.
The opening round saw Hiraoka fighting carefully, using his jab and reach, whilst showing a lot of respect to Barroso’s well documented power. This set the narrative for much of the fight as Hiraoka continued to box well behind his jab, using his youth, speed and his legs well to keep the bout at long range. In round 2 he continued to refuse to let Barroso get close enough to land his heavy leather, though Barroso did come close with a few counters. Round 3 we saw Hiraoka continue to dictate behind a busy, sharp jab, though notably he did manage to catch Barroso with a good counter when Barroso tried to catch him, in what was the most eye-catching single shot up to this point.
Barroso’s lack of footspeed and 41 year old body, continued to struggle to cut the ring off or catch Hiraoka who fought another very disciplined round in the 4th, as Barroso started to find himself in a growing hole on the scorecards. In round 5 a hard counter from Hiraoka seemed to rock Barroso, though knowing that Barroso was still dangerous Hiraoka didn’t jump on his man, instead continuing to fight a very disciplined, cautious, safety first style. A 1-2 later in the round also seemed to get Barroso’s attention but again there was no rushing in from Hiraoka. Late in the round Barroso did manage to land a good shot, but he couldn’t follow up as Hiraoka continued to pump out the jab and snap back Barroso’s head. In round 6 we began to see more offensive ambition from Hiraoka, who not only tagged Barroso at will with jabs, but also managed to score a knockdown, although a contentious call, with a counter right hook, and also landed a nasty left hand late in the round.
In round 7 it seemed clear that Barroso was going to need a knockdout, and was starting to run out of time. Not only that but he was also being picked apart by the frequent clean jabs, and good counters of Hiraoka, who landed two nasty shots late in the round, including a nasty right hook. It was clear that Hiraoka was comfortable fighting at the very slow pace of the bout, and sticking behind his jab, and that Barroso would need to do something to change things. And if Barroso wanted to change things he’d have to take risks. Interestingly in round 8 it was actually Hiraoka who began to take a few more risks, taking the fight to Barroso more than he had earlier on, though that played into Barroso’s hands and saw the veteran have his best round. Notably the shots of Barroso left a small cut under Hiraoka’s right eye, as he showed there was still some life in the old dog. In round 9 we finally saw Hiraoka show some hunger for a stoppage, hurting Barroso up top and then rushing in, dropping the veteran with a body shot. Barroso beat the count but was looking like a wounded animal as Hiraoka landed a huge head shot, before sending Barroro down again just moments later. He was up again at 9 but the corner of Barroso’s made the decision to save their man. With the win Hiraoka likely secures himself a world title fight in 2025 whilst Barroso, who has been a true credit to the sport, likely considers walking away from the sport.
The first of two world title bouts on the show saw WBO Bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei (10-0, 8) [武居由樹] make his first defense as he faced off with mandatory challenger Daigo Higa (21-3-1, 19) [比嘉 大吾], in what was an expected shoot out between two huge punchers, and delivered, despite a very quiet start.
From the opening seconds there was respect from both, with Takei looking to control range, creating space, whilst Higa tried to cut the space, but do so without getting caught. Through the first minute little happened in terms of punches, but it was clear that neither wanted to take too many risks too early. Around 2 minutes into the fight the action suddenly kicked off with Higa managing to get close, taking one solid shot as a reward whilst trying to land a combination, though failed to get the breakthrough he would have wanted. In round 2 the action started faster with Takei landing a good uppercut and Higa landing a wild hook as we finally got the touch paper being lit. Higa would take another uppercut later in the round and another before Higa landed a right hand of his own. The pressure of Higa was being used against him by the smarter boxing of Takei. Takei would get behind his jab early in round 3, giving Higa something to think about as he tried to get close, whilst also getting behind his own vicious uppercuts, which were being timed perfectly. Higa was having moments, but with his left hook and straight right hands, but it was the uppercuts of Takei that were really catching the eye. Late in the round a right hook from Takei landed clean and got Higa’s respect, in what was the final shot of note.
In round 4 Higa got in a really good right hand that rocked Takei back on to the ropes, where Higa let his shots fly and Takei tried to respond off the ropes. Takei realised the smart decision was to hold on for a second and force the referee to step in ending what had been a sensational sequence of action. Higa would also land an excellent left late in the round, for what was certainly his best round up to this point. Takei would land some nasty shots in round 5, including another uppercut, as he looked to prevent Higa from having the same level of success that he’d had in round 4. It was a round that seemed to be fought much more to Takei’s liking, with the success of his uppercut again being the key. Higa backed Takei up in round 6, and had success, though was regularly taking shots to get his own off. A huge body shot from Higa with Takei in the corner looked like it was going to be the start of something for Higa but just moments later Takei turned things around, backed up Higa and landed another solid uppercut.
Higa continued to apply his trademark pressure in round 7, though again got an uppercut for his success. As the round went on Takei began to create space and landed a brutal left of his own but Higa took it really well and managed to have success with his own shots, notable his stiff jabs. Later in the round we saw a rare Takei combination and up close the champion began to use his size, holding Higa more when they were close and creating more space to work with. In round 8 Takei seemed to be trying to lure Higa into a counter, then create space and repeat, having success again with the uppercuts when Higa came in. It was a risky strategy and one that saw him under intense pressure as Higa managed to get a break through and force Takei on to the ropes again. Early in round 9 a Takei uppercut connected clean but Higa ate it then took the fight to Takei, forcing him on to the ropes as we again got a huge exchange that saw both men landing absolute bombs, and taking them well. Higa got the better of the exchange, landing 3 really eye catching shots, but didn’t seem to particularly hurt Takei. Later in the round Takei landed a rare straight body shot, and a good left hand up top, to end what had been a brilliant round.
In round 10 Higa continued to pressure but Takei used that pressure against him well with combinations to the head as Higa came in, it seemed very much like Takei had been biding his time, not burning his energy out early, as he had in his title win against Jason Moloney. Higa managed to have success with his jab, and whilst they were often single shots he did have success with one jab that forced Takei into the corner where he began to work. Again he didn’t seem to actually hurt Takei, but he definitely caught the eye of the judges with the big flurry and potentially stole the round with the one big assault. Early in round 11 Higa landed a bomb that rocked Takei to his boots. Takei managed to recover but was clearly hurt and clearly needing to do something big in what remained of the round. The pressure of Higa managed to have a breakthrough in the final minute of the round as Takei went to the canvas, though it looked more like a push than a knockdown, which Takei did try to explain to the referee. Given how close this had been through out it was clear neither man would have felt comfortable leaving this in the hands of the judges. Takei was the one who set the tempo for the round early, really letting his hands go, backing up Higa and unloading a brutal combination that had Higa holding on. For the first time Higa looked genuinely hurt and Takei kept the pressure on, much in a reverse situation of his win against Moloney, where he was the one barely surviving. The shots from Takei kept coming with Higa continuing to do little more than survive, barely throwing a shot in anger as Takei did everything he could to keep his title. Despite failing to drop Higa in the final round he came close to taking it out of the hands of the judges.
In the end, despite the bout going 12 rounds, Takei’s big effort to finish the bout proved vital, as Takei took the win with scores of 114-113, twice, and 115-112, the 12th round being the all important one on two of those 3 cards.
In the main event Japanese boxing king and current undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25) [井上尚弥] faced off with the dangerous former IBF champion TJ Doheny (26-5, 19).
The bout started with both men looking to find their range, fencing their lead hands with the southpaw stance of Doheny giving Inoue something to think about. As well as being a southpaw Doheny also looked much, much, bigger than Inoue and reports were that Doheny was 145.7lbs this morning, around 7lbs heavier than Inoue. As the round went on Inoue began to press, and landed a few crisp right hands in a very quiet round. Round 2 was another quiet one until Inoue landed a huge right hand to the body that phased Doheny for the first time in the fight. There was also a late combination form Inoue with Doheny in the corner. Doheny, to his credit, seemed to be boxing to a very patient gameplan, waiting for a mistake from Inoue to counter, but it did see him give away the round without putting up much offense. In round 3 we finally saw Doheny open up with a combination on to Inoue’s guard as the challenger began to show some ambition. The ambition from Doheny continued through much of the round as he let a few combinations go, though was caught by two good right hands late on.
Doheny continued to look dangerous in round 4 but the tempo of the bout was slow, with Inoue taking the chance to see what Doheny had in the locker. As the round went on however Inoue started to catch Doheny and force the tempo to increase and looking to counter Doheny, as well as landing single solid shots up top and to the body, most notably straight right hands to the head. Doheny never seemed buzzed by any of them, but they were landing clean and Doheny was being backed up onto the ropes regularly. Early in round 5 Inoue backed into the corner himself, likely hoping to get Doheny to open up, though Doheny smartly avoided taking the bait. Later in the round Inoue backed Doheny up and began to land regularly to the body again, breaking Doheny down. Doheny was fighting back, but by now it was clear he was becoming uncomfortable with the pressure and accuracy from Inoue. Inoue came out faster for round 6, and Doheny tried to respond, but the combinations of Inoue started to take their toll, with the body shots in particular being sickening early in the round before headshots came later in the round. Doheny had moments, but they were fleeting moments, and lacked the impact of Inoue’s nasty shots. Just moments before the bell Inoue landed a brutal combination which clearly hurt Doheny, who was happy to hear the bell.
Sadly the bout came to a disappointing ending, when Doheny seemed to injure himself, whilst under intense pressure early in the round as Inoue let fly with a combination. The injury, which seemed to be to his back, left him limping as the bout was quickly called off, gave Inoue the TKO win, though not the style of win that he would have wanted. Prior to the stoppage Inoue was looking like he was breaking down Doheny, and it seemed like an ending was inevitable, but the end we got was hugely disappointing.
Aged 37 this is probably the last time we see Doheny in the ring, especially with the nature of injury suffered here. As for Inoue it seems the plan is now to face Sam Goodman in December, as Inoue becomes one of the few elite fighters to fit in 3 fights in 2024.
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