Keeps Japanese 115lb belt

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

When WBA featherweight champ Wilfredo Vazquez annihilated Japanese challenger Yuji Watanabe in five lopsided rounds here in 1997, we never imagined the loser’s nephew would become a professional boxer and then a national titlist since he was just five months old upon his uncle’s ill-fated world title shot that resulted in a jaw bone fracture. His nephew Suzumi Takayama (9-0, 8 KOs; amateur 35-16, 10 stoppages), 115, made his third defense of the Japanese super flyweight belt by dispatching Isao Aoyama (14-13-1, 4 KOs), 114.5, at 3:06 of the second session in a scheduled ten on Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan.

WBA#8 southpaw Takayama caught the underdog so quickly in the opening session and almost brought home the bacon within the first three minutes of the bout. But JBC#12 Aoyama, 35 and seven years his senior, desperately withstood the champ’s opening attack and occasionally displayed a gallant retaliation. In the closing seconds of round two, however, Takayama proved too strong and powerful for the overmatched challenger as he sank the game but limited rival with a vicious southpaw right hook that had him listen to the fatal ten on all fours on the canvas. His uncle Yuji Watanabe might smile at his impressive triumph though he needs more improvement on his defensive skills (he undesirably absorbed some of the bad loser’s opening attack). Suzumi is also rated #7 by IBF, #9 by WBO and #10 by WBC.

Promoter: Dangan Promotions.
BoxRec: Suzumi Takayama
BoxRec: Yuji Watanabe

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