By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

A very bizarre happening was seen in a Japanese national bantamweight title bout for the vacant belt （renounced by Yusuke Suzuki） on Monday in Tokyo, Japan. JBC#1 Kyosuke Sawada (14-2-2, 6 KOs), 118, a prohibitive favorite unbeaten in his last fifteen bouts including a draw, badly decked JBC#2 southpaw Ikuro Sadatsune (11-4-4, 4 KOs), 118, with his opening attack in the first session, but an accidental collision of heads in round two had each so profusely streaming blood from the forehead that the ring physician had to advise the ref Yoshida to inevitably call a halt.

The result was a technical draw at 0:23 of the second round in a scheduled ten with no new champion eventually decided.

The limited crowd due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the Korakuen Hall was stunned at the abruptly abbreviated main event, while Sawada on the verge of a victory was also disappointed at his deep vertical laceration that still kept badly bleeding even after the bout.

Promoter: Dangan Aoki.

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