On 6 June, fifth-ranked challenger Keita Kurihara (KOD LAB) captured the Japanese bantamweight title, securing a TKO victory over defending champion Shori Umezu (Mitani Yamato Sports) at 47 seconds of the sixth round. The bout served as the co-feature of the “DYNAMIC GLOVE on U-NEXT 44” card held at Korakuen Hall. With the victory in his stable debut under promotional head Takashi Uchiyama, Kurihara presented his new gym leader with the national title.
梅津をストップして万歳の栗原
The clash between the two aggressive punchers heated up midway through the opening round as Kurihara closed the distance and began to target the midsection with hooks from both sides. Umezu, operating in his preferred territory, remained resilient, firing back with left hooks to the body under a tight guard. While the power of the slugger Kurihara was evident, Umezu showed no visible signs of distress when caught by a sharp right uppercut in the second round, immediately launching counters of his own.
Although Umezu’s high guard could not entirely neutralize Kurihara’s heavy blows, the champion responded effectively in close quarters with well-timed left hooks. In the fifth, Kurihara intensified his offensive output, unleashing successive right uppercuts and pressing for a stoppage with follow-up left hooks. Following the conclusion of the fifth stanza, the open scoring favored Kurihara, who led on all three cards with scores of 49-46 and 48-47 twice.
Kurihara maintained his relentless pressure into the sixth round, sustaining an aggressive assault that quickly placed Umezu in severe distress. Despite Umezu’s willingness to trade punches in an attempt to turn the tide, he was severely staggered by a left hook, prompting referee Iida to step in and halt the contest.
“I am genuinely thrilled,” Kurihara stated in his post-fight interview. “The short range is the champion’s ideal distance, but I knew I couldn’t afford to be out-willed there.” Despite having captured the OPBF title on four separate occasions, this victory marks Kurihara’s first reign as the national champion. With this win, his record improves to 21-9-1 (18 KOs). Umezu, failed in his second title defense, drops to 13-2-3 (9 KOs).
比国人選手を左ジャブでヒットする阿久井㊧
Seigo Yuri Akui Impresses with Second Consecutive Stoppage Victory Since Title Loss
Former WBA flyweight champion Seigo Yuri Akui (Kurashiki Moriyasu) secured a fifth-round TKO victory over Philippine-ranked contender Laurinz Biasong (Philippines) in a flyweight contest featured on the undercard. The official time of the stoppage was 59 seconds into round five.
From the opening bell, Akui established his dominance, landing sharp, authoritative right hands to clearly banking the early rounds. He neutralized Biasong’s counter-attacks through tight blocking and disciplined distance control while maintaining relentless pressure behind a stiff left jab, hooks, and straight rights.
The youthful Biasong showed resilience, firing back even while absorbing Akui’s combinations and occasionally attempting to time heavy overhand rights simultaneously. However, the decisive breakthrough occurred in the fifth stanza during one of these exchanges. Unfazed, Akui instantly shifted through the gears, unleashing a compact four-punch combination initiated by a straight right and punctuated by a left hook that sent Biasong to the canvas. Although the Filipino beat the count, Akui clinical follow-up assault forced the referee to intervene.
“I will continue to work hard to become a fighter you can place your high expectations on once again,” Akui stated modestly in his post-fight interview. With this victory, Akui improves his record to 23-3-1 (13 KOs), while Biasong falls to 8-3 (3 KOs).
