By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unheralded JBC#7 Tatsuya Yanagi (17-6-2, 6 KOs), 134.5, dropped former amateur star JBC#6 Kazuki Saito (7-3, 5 KOs), 134.75, with a solid left hook in round two, and overwhelmed the prefight favorite with an accelerated attack to halt him at 0:52 of the sixth session in a scheduled eight on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan.  Yanagi decked his first triumph since he was beaten by formerly world-rated Akihiro Kondo last November.  Saito suffered a couple of defeats in a row as he lost to elongated counterpuncher Izuki Tomioka last October.

Ex-amateur boxer Yoji Saito (2-1-2, 2 KOs), 130, swarmed over JBC#18 super-feather Masashi Wakita (10-10-2, 5 KOs), 130, and had him down for the count with a wicked left hook at 2:31 of the opening session of a semi-final eight.  Former Japanese flyweight champ Takuya Kogawa (31-6-1, 14 KOs), 112, displayed his good form in halting JBC#6 light-fly Hayato Yamaguchi (15-9-1, 2 KOs), 112, at 1:39 of the sixth round in a scheduled eight.

Promoter: Kadoebi Jewel Promotions.

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