By Joe Koizumi

40-year-old veteran, WBC#7/IBF#14 Kenichi Horikawa (41-16, 14 KOs), 108, acquired the vacant OPBF light flyweight belt when he caught up with Daiki Tomita (14-2, 5 KOs), 108, with a flurry of punches and finally halted him at 1:47 of the tenth round in a scheduled twelve on Saturday in Kobe, Japan. Horikawa kept outhustling Tomita, eighteen years his junior at 22, from the outset and steadily piled up points after the eighth on open scoring system: 78-74 twice, 80-72.

His acceleration of a late surge in the fatal round prompted the third man’s stoppage, which made the veteran win his fourth belt in addition to the Japanese national title (twice) and the WBO ASPAC diadem (once).

Promoter: Shinsei Promotions (behind closed doors at the Kobe Central Gymnasium).