Keeps Japanese 122lb belt

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

WBA#9, WBC#10 elongated southpaw Toshiki Shimomachi (19-1-3, 12 KOs), 121.75, had a tough time but defeated up-and-coming challenger Ryuya Tsugawa (13-2, 9 KOs), 122, by a unanimous decision (96-93 twice, 97-92) to retain his Japanese national super bantam belt on Tuesday at Ariake Arena, Tokyo. The 5’10” lanky champ made good use of his advantageous height and reach, and made himself a difficult target for the hard-punching challenger to catch up with. Shimomachi was leading on points after the fifth on the open scoring system: identically 49-46. Tsugawa, however, caught him with a left hook followed by a solid right, dropping Shimomachi midway in round eight. But the lefty champ survived the last two sessions and barely kept his national title.

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