By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda
JBC top contender Fumiya Fuse (14-3, 3 KOs), 118, impressively acquired the vacant Japanese bantamweight belt (renounced by Seiya Tsutsumi after his successful but ill-fated defense against Kazuki Anaguchi last December) when he floored JBC#2 Taichi Sugimoto (10-2-3, 1 KO), 117.5, twice before the referee’s well-received intervention at 1:38 of the fifth round in a scheduled ten on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan. Fuse, a durable southpaw, lost a nearly lopsided decision to Sam Goodman in Australia in 2022, and was stopped by hard-punching compatriot Riku Masuda a year later. Fuse, a road warrior, finally seized the national belt to his credit. Continue reading “Fuse halts Sugimoto, wins Japan’s 118lb belt”