By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

It was remarkable that unbeaten Ryusei Matsumoto (4-0, 2 KOs; amateur 77-15), 105, seized the vacant Japanese minimumweight belt in his only fourth outing by chalking up a TKO victory over JBC#1 Matsuki Mori (12-4, 3 KOs), 105, at 0:59 into the seventh round in a scheduled ten on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan. The more experienced Mori recklessly kept boring in from the outset with lefty Matsumoto moving around and occasionally connecting with left counters. After the fifth, the open scoring system indicated Matsumoto leading on points—49-46, 50-45 twice. The seventh saw Matumoto deck him with a countering right hook, and his follow-up had the ref call a halt on Mori whose right optic was badly swollen and bleeding.

Matsumoto, a hard-punching prospect, reached the record of those who won the national belt in the fourth pro bout: James Callaghan, Modest Yushin Napuni, Akinobu Hiranaka, Joichiro Tatsuyoshi and Naoya “Monster” Inoue.

Promoter: Hachioji Nakaya Promotions in association with Ohashi Promotions.

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