Osaka, Japan – The semi finals of Matchroom’s newfangled Prizefighter match are actually in place, with Kazuto Takesako and Riku Kunimoto set to do battle for a spot within the $1m ultimate in opposition to the winner of Kieron Conway vs Aaron McKenna.
Kazuto Takesako and Mark Dickinson didn’t waste a single second earlier than getting all the way down to motion within the third quarter ultimate and it turned out to be the perfect struggle of the match to this point.
Takesako 17-2-1 (15 KOs) was competing at title degree lengthy earlier than the aggressive, untested Dickinson, 6-1 (2 KOs), had even turned skilled. Regardless of, the 25-year-old from County Durham in England didn’t appear unduly bothered by the hole in expertise and caught Takesako with a pleasant uppercut within the first minute of the struggle. The Japanese fighter fired again as the 2 stood in entrance of one another, taking turns to land onerous, heavy photographs.
The tempo didn’t gradual within the second. Takesako landed a tough proper hand to the physique and Dickinson received onto the again foot and gave floor – a transparent signal that he had felt the burden of the shot given the best way the struggle had began – and Takesako started to struggle with a contact extra composure than his youthful opponent, calmly absorbing the assured Dickinson’s greatest photographs however replying in additional economical trend.
Dickinson was touchdown loads of photographs of his personal however was being made to pay for an absence of head motion and although he’d began the struggle like a whirlwind, his assaults began to return in bursts. Takesako, in the meantime, well bided his time, waited for gaps and picked brief, snappy photographs by means of the guard. Dickinson did land a straight proper hand because the spherical got here to an finish and planted himself immediately in entrance of Takesako within the fourth. Dickinson was having success together with his proper uppercut and managed to attract blood from Takesako’s nostril as he loved his greatest spherical of the struggle. Dickinson didn’t damage Takesako however had established a rhythm.
Dickinson opened the fifth with one other uppercut and though Takesako all the time responded, his punches had been now trying extra compelled and had misplaced a few of their snap. With battle traces drawn, each fighters took turns to punch straight photographs by means of the opposite man’s guard.
Dickinson appeared to have grown accustomed to Takesako’s energy and bounced off his stool to reply the bell for the seventh spherical whereas the sensation was that Takesako was pushing out his punches just a little extra. Issues shortly modified and Dickinson received up on his ft and commenced to maneuver because the exertions of the earlier rounds started to make amends for him. Takesako continued to plug away and seemed to have reestablished a grip on the struggle because the spherical ended.
The struggle proceed to maneuver in Takesako’s path within the eighth as Dickinson’s output dropped. The 33-year-old took benefit and fired off brief sharp bursts to take the spherical however spent the primary a part of the ninth following Dickinson across the ring because the English fighter tried to maneuver and decide his photographs. He discovered a tough correct proper however his ft slowed and Takesako took benefit, firing in combos every time Dickinson stopped.
Neither fighter boxed the tenth and ultimate spherical like they had been assured of incomes a call. Once more, Takesako was the busier of the 2 however Dickinson landed the extra eye catching photographs and received the house fighter’s consideration with a proper hand and once more surprised him with a left hook.
After 10 onerous rounds, the struggle went to the scorecards and Takesako was awarded a unanimous resolution. The scores had been 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92.
Takesako will struggle his countryman, Riku Kunimoto, within the semi ultimate after the Japanese middleweight champion efficiently defended his belt in opposition to Eik Kani.
In March, Kunimoto, 12-1 (6 KOs), stopped Kani, 8-5-3 (4 KOs), in six rounds to win the belt and began the rematch in assured trend, taking the middle of the ring and loading up with a strong jab and heavy hooks. Kani shortly determined to shut the gap however was doing so with out throwing photographs and Kunimoto spent a lot of the messy opener shoving his opponent away fairly than establishing his vary with punches of his personal.
Kunimoto appeared pissed off by Kani’s methodology of strolling into vary within the second however didn’t assist his personal trigger by selecting to plant himself in heart ring fairly than giving himself room to work with. Halfway by means of the third, Kani made him pay. He briefly damage Kunimoto with a left hook and tried to press dwelling his benefit, by letting each palms go.
Early within the fourth, it was Kani’s flip to be damage when a proper hand precipitated him to stumble again to the ropes. Kunimoto adopted him and exploded into motion. For third seconds, Kani was underneath relentless fires Kunimoto ragdolled him around the ring. After transient respite, he was damage by one other left hook and once more fell again into the ropes. In some way, Kani survived however completed the spherical marked underneath each eyes.
The tip was close to and, early within the fifth, an enormous proper robbed Kani of any motion and the struggle grew to become goal apply for Kunimoto. Ultimately one other clear proper hand by means of the guard precipitated the referee to step in and cease the struggle.
Kunimoto will share a $100,000 knockout bonus pool with Kieron Conway and Aaron McKenna who recorded snug victories earlier within the night time. Conway and McKenna will meet within the different semi-final.
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