By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Unbeaten Japanese middleweight champ Kazuto Takesako (12-0-1, 11 KOs), 159.75, dethroned OPBF 160-pound ruler Shinobu Charlie Hosokawa (12-5-1, 11 KOs), 159.5, as he pounded out a nearly shutout decision (120-108, 119-109 twice) over twelve lopsided rounds on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.

The hard-punching national titlist Kazuto swarmed over the taller slow starter from the outset, battering him from all angles. After the eighth, the open scoring system read 80-72 for all the judges since what Charlie could do was to repeatedly grab the by far more aggressive foe. The durable Charlie, the younger brother of former national 140-pound champ Valentine Hosokawa, attempted to demonstrate his last surge from the tenth, but couldn’t overcome his huge deficits on points against the monotonous but more powerful challenger.

The victor Takesako now holds both the OPBF and national belts.

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