On 7 June, two new champions were crowned in a double OPBF title event featured on the “You will be the Champion 30” card at the Sumiyoshi Ward Center in Osaka. In the 10-round lightweight main event, top-ranked challenger Taiga Imanaga (Ohashi) secured a 2-0 majority decision victory over defending champion Shuma Nakazato (Okinawa) with scores of 95-95, 96-94, and 97-93. In the co-featured 10-round bout for the vacant super-bantamweight title, third-ranked former Japanese champion Toshiya Ishii (RE:BOOT) defeated second-ranked Kaito Yamasaki (Mutsushima) via a TKO at 2 minutes and 46 seconds of the fifth round.
仲里からタイトルを奪った今永㊧
Although there were no knockdowns, the large southpaw Imanaga emerged victorious in a fiercely contested lightweight bout that captivated the audience.
In the opening round, Imanaga circled to his right while launching straight lefts, but Nakazato feinted a right to the body before expanding the punch to the face, quickly trapping Imanaga in the corner to unleash a combination. At mid-to-long range, Nakazato demonstrated a thoroughly prepared strategy against the southpaw, cleanly evading Imanaga’s left hands with step-backs and ducking underneath a left overhand.
Nakazato also utilised his right hand as a lead and concealed his trajectories with the left, occasionally landing powerful right hands. Struggling to connect cleanly with his left, Imanaga appeared unable to establish a comfortable rhythm.
However, a cut sustained to Nakazato’s right eyelid from a punch by Imanaga in the second round may have altered the champion’s focus.
In the fourth round, as Nakazato pressed forward with increased momentum, Imanaga countered with a left uppercut and a straight left. Although the atmosphere favoured Nakazato whenever he closed the distance rapidly to launch flurries, Imanaga, adept at defensive upper-body movement, avoided taking critical damage. Conversely, as Nakazato increasingly mistimed his entries into close range, Imanaga’s straight lefts and left uppercuts began to find their target.
Following the conclusion of the fifth round, the open scoring revealed one judge favouring Nakazato at 48-47, while the remaining two scored it 48-47 for Imanaga.
Spurred by the announcement, Nakazato sought to engage more aggressively in close quarters. This played into the hands of Imanaga, who repeatedly timed Nakazato’s entries with counter left uppercuts to the body. By drawing the champion in and countering, Imanaga effectively exploited the urgency of Nakazato, who was anxious to reclaim points.
In the final round, Imanaga initiated the action with a flurry of hooks to the body, to which Nakazato responded by landing hooks with both hands. The venue erupted as both fighters emptied their reserves in a fierce exchange until the final bell.
“As expected, Nakazato had immense grit and power, and I was hurt a few times in a difficult fight, but I focused entirely on winning and I am relieved to have done so,” Imanaga said. “The fact that I couldn’t showcase what I practiced and how I’ve evolved is a testament to Nakazato’s skill and mental strength. I fought purely on determination in the latter half. I want to deliver better performances, firmly defend this belt, and continue to level up.”
Having suffered his first professional defeat against a world-ranked contender last December, Imanaga secured a victory in his return bout. Adding a second title to his resume following his previous relinquishment of the Japanese national belt, the 26-year-old Imanaga improved his record to 10-1 (5 KOs). The 29-year-old Nakazato, who failed in the inaugural defence of the title he claimed in February, dropped to 16-4-4 (8 KOs).
石井は大阪に乗り込んでOPBF王座獲得
Ishii Stops Yamasaki in Five, Claims Vacant OPBF Super-Bantamweight Title
The vacant OPBF super-bantamweight title contest began with a palpable tension that promised a knockout finish, and the bout concluded precisely as anticipated.
Both fighters initiated the contest exchanging jabs, but Toshiya Ishii consistently and cleanly found his target, seamlessly following up with short straight rights. When Ishii unleashed a counter left hook—a punch he later noted gym leader Tetsuya Iba had identified as the key to the fight—Kaito Yamasaki was sent heavily to the canvas. Although Yamasaki beat the count, he was visibly shaken. Ishii intensified his assault, but the local fighter showed immense resilience to survive the onslaught.
In the second and third rounds, Ishii pressed forward aggressively, allowing Yamasaki to find success by countering over Ishii’s retracted jabs with right hands. Mimicking Ishii’s tactical approach, Yamasaki occasionally timed left hooks of his own, turning the contest into a highly competitive affair.
However, the momentum shifted decisively in the fourth round as Ishii adjusted his distance, utilising lateral movement to implement a effective back-foot counter-punching strategy. This adjustment, enabling him to cleanly evade incoming attacks before firing back, demonstrated that Ishii had firmly established control over the distance and rhythm.
In the fifth stanza, Ishii executed his trademark combination, pairing a straight right to the body with a left hook, before unleashing a succession of compact and sharp one-two straight punches. Sensing his opponent was hurt by a right hand, Ishii targeted Yamasaki with a flurry of unanswered combinations. Factoring in the cumulative punishment Yamasaki had absorbed, referee Nobuto Ikehara swiftly intervened to halt the contest at the 2-minute and 46-second mark. It was an excellently timed stoppage.
“I managed to execute exactly what I had envisioned,” Ishii stated in his post-fight interview. “For now, my goal is to capture all three major Asian titles. I expect I will be competing in Osaka again in the future, so I hope everyone remembers my name.” The traveling fighter’s request was met with warm applause from the crowd.
With the victory, the 25-year-old Ishii improved his professional record to 11-2-2 (8 KOs). The 27-year-old Yamasaki, who failed in his third attempt at a regional title, dropped to 11-2-1 (6 KOs).
