By Joe Koizumi

Once-beaten southpaw Ryu Ueda (9-1-1, 5 KOs), 227.75, acquired the vacant Japanese heavyweight belt when he avenged his previous defeat and barely defeated 41-year-old veteran Kotatsu Takehara (15-13-3, 8 KOs), 245.25, by a hairline but unanimous verdict (all 96-94) over ten close rounds on Sunday in Kariya, Japan.

It was in May 2016 that the elongated southpaw suffered a fourth round TKO by Takehara in Nagoya, but Ueda, 28, utilized his physique this time and managed to outpunch the more powerful but shorter opponent. This national belt had been vacated by WBO Asia Pacific champ Kyotaro Fujimoto, who will make an ambitious shot at Daniel Dubois in London on this coming December 21.