By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten brother of “the Monster” Naoya, Takuma Inoue (13-0, 3 KOs), 118, successfully followed his footstep as he acquired the vacant WBC interim bantamweight belt by winning a unanimous decision over Petch CP Freshmart (AKA Tasana Salapat (48-1, 33 KOs), 118, over twelve heats on Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. All the judges agreed with a 117-111 tally in favor of Takuma.

But it wasn’t an easy fight at all since Petch, a taller southpaw, was an aggressor stalking the fast-handed Takuma, who often countered him with precision. After the eighth, the open scoring system showed Takuma leading on points—77-75, 78-74, 79-73. Petch, in round twelve, had Takuma at bay with a flurry of punches, pinning him to the ropes, but Takuma desperately fought back hard to survive the final crisis. The third man was Frank Garza (US).

(More to come)