By Joe Koizumi
Photos: Naoki Fukuda
Unbeaten three-division champion, still 23-year-old Japanese enfant terrible Kosei Tanaka (13-0, 7 KOs), 112, successfully kept his WBO flyweight belt as he pounded out a unanimous decision over former WBA light-fly ruler, compatriot Ryoichi Taguchi (27-4-2, 12 KOs), also 112, on Saturday (March 16) over twelve hard-fought rounds in Gifu, Japan.
Rose Lacend (US) tallied 119-109, Hernando Steidel (Puerto Rico) and Takeo Harada (Japan) both saw it 117-111—all in the defending champ’s favor. Referee was Steve Willis (US) who handled the quick-moving contestants very well.
It was a sensational grudge fight highly anticipated by all fans here, because they, when both were world 108-pound titleholders, were once scheduled to exchange leather in a unification bout in New Year’s Eve in 2017.
Having suffered an optical injury in his WBO title defense, Tanaka had to give up participating in a year-end dream fight. Some people castigated for Tanaka having escaped from Taguchi although it was Tanaka himself that positively urged Taguchi to come on fighting for unification. It is a famous episode that Tanaka, after a surgery of damaged eye socket, went up to Tokyo from Nagoya to see Taguchi personally and apologize for his inevitable cancellation. It might be Tanaka’s unforgettable trauma.
His high pride being on the line, Tanaka declared before the fight, “I’m very happy to fight Mr. Taguchi and realize our dream fight after two years. I won’t run but make it a great fight without fail.”
Tanaka had acquired the belts in the 105-pound, 108-pound and 112-pound classes of all WBO, and, this time, it was his initial defense of the flyweight throne that he captured by beating defending compatriot Sho Kimura in his native Nagoya last September. His title-winning fight with Kimura was named “Fight of the Year” by many medias abroad as well as by our Sports Writers Association here.
Form the first round it became a hot combat, where Tanaka took the initiative with his faster jabs and combinations, while Taguchi responded to his opening attack with a punch at a time. Taguchi, who had retained his WBA light-flyweight belt seven times to his credit before losing it to Hekkie Budler last May, used to be a slow starter, but he positively displayed good combinations from the start. Tanaka was in command in round two as he utilized sharp uppercuts to the peek-a-boo stylist Taguchi.
The third saw Taguchi, nine years his senior at 32, connect with a well-timed overhand right, having the champ temporarily lose his equilibrium in the beginning of the third. The ex-WBA champ furiously attacked the WBO ruler by quick combinations, but Tanaka retaliated with solid left hooks to the side of the belly and utilized his faster footwork to avert Taguchi’s aggression. Tanaka, in round three, effectively connected with solid body shots and apparently having Taguchi weakened with his absorption of body bombardments.
Taguchi, an elongated boxer-puncher with a longer leach and height than those of Tanaka, began to occasionally clinch the champ to avert his combinations in the close quarter. It was Tanaka that became visibly aggressive from the fifth onward by throwing versatile lead lefts—jabs, hooks and uppercuts—and connected with more accurate combos to the fading ex-champ.
The seventh was obviously controlled by Tanaka who displayed persistent body attacks as well as positive combinations upstairs and downstairs. The eighth was also Tanaka, who kept on connecting with body bombardments and had his challenger slowing down.
Taguchi, however, showed his heart by winning a point in the ninth, when he threw more busily than the willing mixer Tanaka. But it was Taguchi’s last round that he could dominate, since Tanaka displayed his last surge and swept all rounds from the tenth on.
Every stanza was hard-fought and close, but Tanaka collected a point even by a slight margin round after round. Taguchi was game and gallant enough to respond to Tanaka’s still sharp and speedy combos, but he apparently lost his stamina and often grabbed his foe from him.
The twelfth and final round was furious with each showing the last energy, but it was Tanaka that landed more effective punches to win another point to confirm his victory.
Tanaka jubilantly said, “Taguchi was strong and he showed his heart. I am happy to exchange gloves with such a tough opposition and could win over him in an anticipated encounter.” The crestfallen loser said, “Tanaka’s physical strength was his key of victory. He accelerated his attack as the contest progressed. It’s Tanaka’s day.”
The champ Tanaka sincerely said, “I wish to dedicate his victory to the WBO president Paco Valcarcel for his celebrating his birthday today.” Tanaka, as his ring intelligence shown in the ring, will welcome his graduation from economical department of Chukyo university only three days after his successful first defense.
His promoter Kiyoshi Hatanaka, ex-WBC 122-pound champ, analyzed the fight, saying, “Tanaka’s speed on hand and foot accounted for his victory. We thank for Taguchi having shown his heart and having it a great fight.”
Hatanaka was also happy after the semi-final bout, where his son Kento Hatanaka (8-0, 8 KOs), 112, kept his WBC youth flyweight belt by dropping Thailander Songsaeng Phoyaem (6-2, 1 KO), 110.25, four times en route to a TKO victory at 1:44 of the eighth round in a scheduled ten.
Unbeaten ex-amateur feather prospect Koshin Takeshima (3-0, 3 KOs), 124.75, demolished WBO Oriental youth champ Jian Wang (7-2-1, 2 KOs), 125, with his opening attack at 0:51 of the third session.
Japan’s youth super-bantam ruler, hard-punching Takuya Mizuno (16-1-1, 14 KOs), 123.25, collected another victim by KO when he dispatched Thailander Piched Chianawa (10-11, 4 KOs), 122.5, at 2:04 of the second round in a scheduled eight. Some 5,500 were in attendance at the Gifu Memorial Center in Gifu city (adjacent to Nagoya).
Promoter: Hatanaka Promotions
Television: CBC in association with TBS
WBO supervisor: Tsuyoshi Yasukochi (Japan).
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