By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

WBO#9, IBF#9 Keita Obara (25-4-1, 22 KOs), 147, kept his Japanese welterweight belt as he quickly decked JBC#3 Masaya Tamayama (14-3, 8 KOs), 147, in the opening session, opened a gash over the left optic and finally halted him with the deteriorated cut at 2:44 of the fifth round in a scheduled ten on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.  Obara, a 5’11” hard-puncher, failed to win the IBF 140-pound belt with an annihilation by Edward Troyanovsky in Russia in 2016 and lost a unanimous 12-round decision to unbeaten Uzbekistani Kudratillo Abdukakhorov in Pennsylvania in 2019.  Keita, so powerful beyond the Japanese level, kept his national belt twice, and said he would like to meet name world-rated opponents in 2022.

In quest of the vacant Japanese female minimumweight belt, Nanako Suzuki (6-2, 1 KO), 104.5, seized the title by eking out a split verdict (58-56 twice, 56-58) over Sayo Segawa (1-2, 1 KO), 105, over six.  Nanako is a student of Rikkyo University, and her dream to become a champ before her graduation, came true.

Promoter: Misako Promotions.

Attendance: 748 (with the JBC’s regulation at the Korakuen Hall).

_