By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten three-division champ Kosei Tanaka (15-0, 9 KOs), 112, impressively retained his WBO flyweight belt when he beautifully flattened China’s Wulan Tuolehazi (13-4-1, 6 KOs), 112, with a double uppercut to the chin at 2:29 of the third round on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan.

Tanaka, making his third defense in his third reign as a 112-pounder, maintained the pressure from the outset and kept jabbing against the cautious Chinese challenger. Being in command in the first two rounds with his aggressiveness, Tanaka, in round three, turned loose and connected with a lethal uppercut, which had Wulan flattened on the canvas. Jose Rivera, Puerto Rico, tolled the fatal ten over the fallen loser.

All the judges—Hernando Steidel (Puerto Rico), Julio Cesar Alvarado (Panama), Sawaeng Thaweekoon (Thailand)– agreed to 20-18 after the second session.

Kosei’s elder brother Ryomei at the ringside is an Olympian-to-be as he is scheduled to fight in qualifying games in China next February. Ryomei reportedly lost to “Monster” Naoya Inoue four times in as many amateur contests. Ryomei is a good advisor behind a pair of Koei and his trainer/father Hitoshi (former arm wrestling national champion).

Kosei said, “This time I have had a very good condition in terms of weight-making. I could show my good performance today.”

The crestfallen loser Wulan simply said, “Tanaka’s punches were very fast. His shots were much stronger than expected.”

Tanaka’s manager/promoter and former WBC 122-pound champ Kiyoshi Hatanaka showed his blue print on Tanaka’s future. “Within next year Kosei may move up to the 115-pound class, but he was this time very successful to make weight properly, so we may defend the flyweight belt one more time.”

Tanaka, out of Nagoya, raised his stock in Tokyo with this spectacular knockout that impressed the crowd without doubt.

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