A fast rundown of the motion we noticed as we speak in Tokyo.
Junto Nakatani TKO-6 Petch Sor Chitpattana
Nakatani (29-0, 22 KO) retains his WBC bantamweight title with one other terrific successful efficiency. Sor Chitpattana (76-2, 53 KO) got here in right here aiming for the upset, wasn’t simply rolling over, however Nakatani is a P4P man and Sor Chitpattana merely isn’t.
Nakatani unleashed a depraved flurry of punches in spherical six to drop the Thai challenger, and simply because it regarded like Sor Chitpattana would possibly survive the spherical, he drilled him once more, with referee Laurence Cole rightly waving it off there, because the underdog was actually harm.
However a part of what obtained Petch caught once more is he got here roaring after that first knockdown; if he was going to go down there, he was going to go down swinging, and he did. A vastly courageous and sport effort from the underdog, however Nakatani marches on and continues to maneuver towards a possible transfer as much as 122 lbs and a brilliant struggle with Naoya Inoue.
Tenshin Nasukawa UD-10 Gerwin Asilo
A strong outing for Nasukawa, the 26-year-old former kickboxing star who improves to 5-0 (2 KO) with a choice win over Asilo (9-1, 4 KO), a 23-year-old from the Philippines who gave this an actual good go however simply didn’t have sufficient success.
There was a knockdown dominated within the ninth spherical that possibly ought to have been known as a slip, however clearly it wasn’t the difference-maker.
Nasukawa picked up a regional WBO belt right here, which issues when it comes to their rankings at bantamweight. He’s younger and has time, however the almost definitely factor might be him going for a world title within the subsequent 18-24 months as long as he retains successful. You don’t need to wait too lengthy, or play with hearth too many occasions, and likewise it’s not like he’s going to turn into some grasp boxing stylist. He’s at all times going to have a kickboxer’s type at coronary heart, however he’s additionally awkward, athlete, and may most likely sharpen up some key issues that make him much more harmful than he’s now.
Phumelele Cafu SD-12 Kosei Tanaka
An upset right here, as Cafu lifts the WBO tremendous flyweight title with the very shut break up resolution win over Kosei Tanaka, a fifth spherical knockdown of the defending titleholder finally making the distinction, as this may have come again a majority draw in any other case.
Cafu (11-0-3, 8 KO) received two playing cards of 114-113 to take the win and the title, whereas Tanaka (20-2, 11 KO) took a 114-113 card himself.
This was a terrific, high-level struggle between two guys whose types meshed splendidly, and that is one the place you actually wish to see a rematch, as a result of it was legitimately as shut as these playing cards make it sound.
Anthony Olascuaga NC-1 Jonathan Gonzalez
A world title struggle that by no means obtained to get going, as Gonzalez (28-3-1, 14 KO) suffered a reduce on the eyebrow resulting from a conflict of heads, and when he instructed the referee he couldn’t see moments after, that was that.
Official time of the struggle being known as off was 2:20 of spherical one. Olascuaga (7-1, 5 KO) retains his WBO flyweight title.
Personally, suppose the 33-year-old Gonzalez ran the mathematics in his head and realized that reduce was in a awful spot and put him at main threat of going to the playing cards after 4 accomplished rounds, probably down on the playing cards and never having the time to get into the second half, which most likely was a giant a part of their plan. He’s not an early knockout man. Not endorsing it as a fan or saying I agree with it or no matter, simply suppose he made a veteran resolution within the state of affairs he had at hand.
