By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Up-and-coming Japanese featherweight champ WBC#8/IBF#13 Ryo Sagawa (10-1, 5 KOs), 126, impressively kept his national belt when he caught up with #9 southpaw Yuri Takemoto (8-2-1, 4 KOs), 126, the winner of last year’s Novice King tournament, and finished him at 3:09 of the sixth round in a scheduled ten on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.

Sagawa, making his second defense, had the upper hand, leading on points after the fifth on open scoring system: 48-47 twice, 49-46. The sixth witnessed Sagawa, formerly an amateur star, accelerate his attack to hurt him with vicious body shots, dropping him for the count. Zooming up by upsetting ex-world challenger Ryo Matsumoto via TKO route in 2018, Sagawa again upset then world-rated Reiya Abe on points to acquire the vacant national belt last September. Sagawa, two years his senior at 26, is a sharpshooter with speed and skills to be highly expected.

Attendance: 385 (under the JBC’s social distancing regulation at the Korakuen Hall)

Promoter: Misako Promotions

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