By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten Japanese light-fly prospect, Japanese champ Shokichi Iwata (9-0, 6 KOs), 107.75, defeated OPBF ruler Kenichi Horikawa (41-17-1, 14 KOs), 107.25, by a unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111,118-110) over twelve heats to unify both belts and also acquire the vacant WBO Asia Pacific 108-pound belt on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Iwata, 26, previously beat future world champs such as Kosei Tanaka and Takuma Inoue when they were amateurs. Horikawa, 42, couldn’t sing a swan song despite his last surge.

Promoter: Teiken Promotions.

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