By Joe Koizumi
WBC#8/IBF#5 unbeaten elongated six-footer, Japan’s Masayoshi Nakatani (18-0, 12 KOs), 134.75, kept his OPBF lightweight belt eleven times to his credit, as he battered onrushing challenger Hurricane Futa (25-8-1, 15 KOs), 135, by utilizing his superior height and reach, made him a bloody mess by legal shots and finally halted him at 1:43 of the fourth round in a scheduled twelve on Sunday in Osaka, Japan.
Hurricane kept boring in, but the defending champ kept his composure and whipped him with precision, opening a gash over the left eyebrow in the second and another cut over the right optic in the next round. Bleeding so profusely, Futa was examined by the ringside physican, who advised the ref to call a halt.
Nakatani, now 29, is gunning for a shot at a world belt next year. Though his performance was fluctuating, Nakatani, if well-conditioned, will show a good fight against a world champ—except Lomachenko.
Only once beaten Sho Ishida (27-1, 15 KOs) floored imported Filipino Warlito Parrenas (26-9-1, 23 KOs) twice in the second and earned a unanimous nod (78-74, 78-73, 78-72) over eight lopsided rounds. The 5’8” lanky speedster failed to win the WBA 115-pound belt via unanimous decision to Khalid Yafai in Cardiff UK in October of the previous year. Ishida scored three wins straight since.