much less challenger Seiya Tsutsumi fought again tears as he set free a yell after the most important win of his profession.
A unbelievable efficiency was produced by the primary time title challenger throughout his WBA title lifting effort over Takuma Inoue. Their Struggle of the Yr contender noticed Tsutsumi prevail by scores of 114-113, 115-112 and 117-110 atop an ESPN+/Amazon Prime-Japan present Sunday from Ariake Enviornment in Tokyo.
“That is the second I actually needed in my life,” Tsutsumi informed in-ring translator Mizuka Koike. “I nonetheless can’t consider that is occurring.”
It wasn’t all clean crusing for Tsutsumi (12-0-2, 8 knockouts) who stormed again after a robust begin by Inoue (20-2, 5 KOs).
The youthful brother of four-division champ and pound-for-pound nice Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) has slowly carved out his personal title at bantamweight. His defensive prowess proved a tough goal for Tsutsumi to nail down within the early rounds.
Tsutsumi missed wildly with a proper hand, which Inoue effortlessly slipped after which playfully mocked his challenger. It was a part of a robust begin for Inoue, who was in management by way of 4 rounds.
Tsutsumi was by no means utterly out of the battle, although. All that was wanted was the arrogance to surge forward.
“I’ve at all times had an inferiority complicated amongst all these nice fighters at my weight from Japan,” Tsutsumi confessed. “I listened to each single phrase mentioned in my nook. That was the distinction. I by no means gave up.”
A drastic shift in momentum got here within the fifth. Inoue made the choice to face and commerce early within the spherical. Tsutsumi made him pay for that call as he landed proper arms and physique pictures at shut quarters in his greatest spherical of the battle.
It carried over into the sixth. Inoue related with an uppercut however was overshadowed by Tsutsumi’s elevated punch output.
The message was acquired by Inoue, who got here out extra assertive to start the second half.
Inoue was profitable together with his straight proper and his uppercut nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient to fend off a relentless Tsutsumi, who utilized fixed stress. Tsutsumi snapped again the top of Inoue with a proper uppercut within the closing seconds of the spherical.
Tsutsumi instantly drove Inoue into the ropes to start the eighth. Inoue momentarily escaped and introduced the motion to heart ring earlier than Tsutsumi shortly took the lead. The relentless challenger walked by way of it and continuously scored together with his proper hand and left hook.
Inoue regained management in a robust ninth spherical earlier than the bout took a disastrous flip. A left hook wobbled Inoue as he fell into the ropes. Referee Nobuto Ikehara dominated the sequence as a knockdown, claiming that the ropes prevented Inoue’s fall. The decision infuriated the defending titlist, who vehemently protested earlier than motion resumed.
It served as a wake-up name that the battle was slipping away. Inoue got here again within the eleventh, of the belief that Tsutsumi was not slowing down and that he wanted one thing dramatic so as to retain his title.
Tsutsumi by no means supplied that second. His excessive motor and relentless workrate proved to be the distinction between claiming his first title and leaving the ring empty-handed.
Listening to the phrases “… and the brand new” lowered Tsutsumi to close tears. He belted out in celebration as he jumped for pleasure earlier than falling to his knees. It introduced him again to his first championship expertise as a youth.
“It feels surreal to me. After I was in center faculty, I had the prospect to the touch the championship belt held by the nice Takashi Uchiyama,” recalled Tsutsumi.
“Ever since then, I made the promise to myself to by no means contact one other world title till I received my very own.”
He now has one in every of his personal, which comes courtesy of his second Struggle of the Yr contender inside his previous three begins.
The earlier prompt basic supplied a much more grim ending, nonetheless.
Tsutsumi was compelled to absorb the harm inflicted upon Kazuki Anaguchi. Their brutal ten-round slugfest final Dec. 26 was received by Tsutsumi by way of unanimous resolution. Anaguchi by no means recovered from mind accidents sustained within the bout and handed away in February.
Tsutsumi bravely moved ahead together with his profession. He scored a fourth-round knockout of Weerawat Noolae on July 7 at Kokugikan earlier than a career-best win on Sunday.
Inoue snapped a seven-fight win streak with the defeat.
He claimed the WBA 118-pound title final April. He was the primary benefactor following the divisional departure of his older brother, who vacated all 4 bantamweight titles.
The youthful Inoue slowly carved out his personal title. The Ring’s No. 3-rated bantamweight impressed in a ninth-round knockout of former 115-pound titlist Jerwin Ancajas on Feb. 24 at Kokugikan Enviornment in Tokyo. He then returned simply ten weeks later to hitch Naoya on the Might 6 present at Tokyo Dome. His look resulted in a twelve-round win over countryman Sho Ishida.
His run got here after a Nov. 2019 defeat to then-unbeaten WBC bantamweight titlist Nordine Oubaali. It’s now again to the drafting board for Inoue, who thanked all his followers as he exited the Ariake Enviornment important room.
In the meantime, it’s onto the longer term for Tsutsumi amidst a golden age for boxing in Japan, notably at bantamweight.
His subsequent possibility might come within the type of the winner of Monday’s important occasion on this very venue. Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs) defends his WBC bantamweight title versus Thailand’s Petch CP Freshmart (76-1, 53 KOs).
“We’re going to have a second day of boxing right here at Ariake Enviornment,” noticed Tsutsumi. “A kind of fights is one other bantamweight title battle. We’re going to watch that battle after which see what’s subsequent for us.”