By Joe Koizumi

WBC #4 super-bantam, Japanese southpaw Shingo Wake (26-5-2, 18 KOs), 122, avenged his previous defeat in 2012 as he caught up with his grudge rival Takafumi Nakajima (29-12-1, 13 KOs), 121.75, floored him twice and finally halted him at 2:20 of the sixth round in a scheduled ten on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.

Having tasted a bitter defeat by Jonathan Guzman via eleventh round stoppage to fail to win the IBF 122-pound belt in July 2016, Wake, a lefty sharpshooter, scored six victories since—all within the distance—to show he is ready to have another world crack soon. Nakajima wasn’t an easy target, but Wake, sharp and speedy, whipped him with precision to bring home the bacon.

IBF #4 feather Reiya Abe (19-2, 9 KOs), 127.25, bloodied former amateur star Daisuke Sugita (4-1, 3 KOs), 127.5, dropped him twice in round five and pounded out a unanimous nod (80-70 twice, 79-71) over a lopsided eight. Abe had entered the world top ten by upsetting then rated veteran Satoshi Hosono (retired afterward) in October 2017, and scored four triumphs thereafter. The shifty southpaw Abe will have a long anticipated shot at the national 126-pound belt against Taiki Minamoto in the Carnival of Champions on May 1.