Following his retirement from the sport, Ishimatsu transitioned into a career as a television personality and actor, appearing in numerous films and television dramas as a distinctive character actor. He also engaged in film production, notably directing and starring in the feature film “Comeback.” In 1996, he ran as a candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Representatives general election, though his bid was unsuccessful. To repay a debt incurred from the campaign, which reportedly amounted to 300 million yen, he intensified his appearances on television and film, which consequently elevated his public profile and enabled him to clear the liability.

In 2010, he established an association for retired world champions, known as the “Pro Boxing World Champions Association,” serving as its president until handing over the role to Tsuyoshi Hamada in 2024. His last public appearance was on 8 March, when he attended and delivered an address at the opening ceremony of the Oshima Boxing Club.

The Hall of Fame Weekend induction festivities are scheduled to commence tomorrow, Thursday. Former world middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, who coincidentally made his United States debut at the Turning Stone Resort Casino, is slated to deliver a speech.

The schedule of events will continue with the traditional casting of the inductees’ fists in plaster on Friday, followed by the banquet dinner and a professional boxing card on Saturday, and concluding with the parade through the streets of Canastota on Sunday.

The announcement was made by promoter Issei Nakaya, president of the Hachioji Nakaya Gym, during a joint press conference held in Tokyo on 9 June.

The 24-year-old Sasaki addressed his opponent in English, stating, “Let’s contest the three titles to decide who is the strongest in Asia.” Expressing supreme confidence regarding the upcoming bout, Sasaki remarked, “Ssemujju is certainly an excellent fighter, but I surpass him in every department. Honestly, the probability of me losing is close to zero, and I am confident of winning regardless of how the fight unfolds.” Regarding the expected outcome, he added, “It will be a knockout. I want to entertain the fans.”

Sasaki has recently adopted the moniker “Movie,” a reference to the dramatic, fluctuating narrative of both his life and his performances inside the ring.

In response, the 33-year-old Ssemujju expressed his determination: “It is an honour to be here. I will secure a decisive and clear victory. I want to put on a great performance representing Uganda.”

Ssemujju represented his native Uganda at the Tokyo Olympic Games. After signing with Nagoya’s Chunichi Gym, he arrived in Japan in 2024 and subsequently captured both the Japanese national and WBO Asia-Pacific welterweight titles. His professional record stands at 9-1-1 (5 KOs) [Note: Verification required for 11 total bouts].

Sasaki holds a record of 21-2 (18 KOs). While a victory would see him collect all three regional belts, he maintained his focus on a subsequent world title opportunity, stating, “Honestly, acquiring three belts is just a stepping stone. It is not that I lack respect for them, but winning here is a given; this is merely a passing point.”

The Sasaki-Ssemujju bout will headline “Lemino BOXING PHOENIX BATTLE 161” at the Tokyo Tama Mirai Messe Hachioji. The undercard will feature three Japanese Youth title contests, including an appearance by Ryuga Ishii (Tokashiki), with the event broadcast live on Lemino.

Fifth-ranked WBA contender Tsutsumi was originally scheduled to challenge for the WBA title in Saudi Arabia last December, but was forced to withdraw from the opportunity after sustaining an eye injury during training. Having fully recovered, this bout marks his return to the ring.

His opponent, Batista, holds an undefeated record of 14 wins, including 10 knockouts. He is an orthodox fighter noted for his aggressive, powerful punches. In addition to the Tsutsumi-Batista main event, the card will feature five 8-round bouts, including Takara Kawaguchi (Kyoei) versus Shota Kajino (Kadoebi Jewel), and Kosei Nogami (Ohashi) versus Kaiki Yuba (YUVAX). The event will be broadcast live on Lemino.

Wearing khaki trunks, Fujiki showcased sharp, disciplined boxing from the opening bell. He established his rhythm behind a solid left jab before following up with straight rights, while cleanly neutralizing Mikham’s counters with a high guard. A perfectly timed counter left jab staggered Mikham, before a subsequent right cross left the Thai fighter on the verge of a knockdown late in the stanza.

Fujiki maintained his offensive variety in the second round, targeting Mikham with straight rights, left hooks to the body, and right uppercuts immediately after evading his opponent’s exchanges. Although Mikham entered the contest as a seasoned competitor who challenged Shu Utsuki (Watanabe) for a regional title last year, compiling a record of 21-2 (13 KOs), the technical disparity between the two fighters was evident from the outset. Sensing Mikham was badly hurt by a right hand, Fujiki immediately accelerated his output with a sustained barrage of power punches, prompting referee Nakamura to intervene and halt the contest.

“This was my first time competing in front of such a large audience, and it was an incredible feeling,” Fujiki remarked regarding his professional debut. “The super-featherweight regional titles are currently held entirely by Japanese fighters. My goal is to secure one of those belts as quickly as possible.”

Nakayama, a highly touted southpaw powerhouse, entered the professional ranks out of the Ohashi Gym after compiling seven national amateur titles and subsequently leaving Komazawa University during his freshman year. He established a reputation as a formidable puncher in the amateur ranks, securing 30 stoppages (KO/RSC) within his 57-1 record.

For his practical examination, Nakayama engaged in a three-round southpaw sparring session against the reigning Japanese youth light-flyweight champion, Ryuta Suekuni (Lions). Facing pressure from Suekuni, an accomplished fighter with a background in kickboxing, Nakayama demonstrated high-level skills, executing sharp, non-telegraphed counter straight lefts and precise left hooks to the body. Despite the exhibition nature of the session, the technical quality remained high. “I felt that [Suekuni] was different from amateur opponents, and I found him to be very strong,” Nakayama remarked.

Following the co-featured bout of the evening, Nakayama was officially announced to have passed the examination and received his license certificate inside the ring. “I felt some pressure because I wanted to entertain the audience in a professional ring, but I am pleased that I was able to perform as usual. My goal is to showcase definitive one-punch knockouts,” he stated.

In the opening round, Sakai utilised subtle feints and diligent distance control to evade Saludar’s right hands, while occasionally penetrating the veteran’s guard with sharp, authoritative straight lefts. Sakai maintained his tactical dominance in the second stanza, consistently making Saludar miss and targeting the midsection and head with long-range left hands. During this round, the Japanese contender registered two knockdowns, courtesy of a left hook and a well-placed left to the body. Although Saludar attempted to return a right hand in the exchange that led to the second knockdown, it was the definitive precision of Sakai’s preceding blow that inflicted the critical damage.

Sakai continued to dictate the tempo of the contest, utilizing lateral movement and a persistent right jab to effectively neutralize Saludar’s dangerous right hand. When Saludar attempted to force the issue with aggressive right-hand leads, Sakai consistently countered with precise left hands to the body. Late in the round, Sakai created a significant opening with a left hand and unleashed a sustained offensive combination. Although the assault was interrupted by the bell, it visibly diminished Saludar’s resolve. In the seventh round, Sakai forced his opponent toward the corner with a straight left before unleashing a clinical combination of hooks with both hands, prompting referee Tanaka to step in and halt the contest.

Reflecting on his disciplined performance, Sakai stated, “Following a sub-par showing in my previous bout, I was determined to deliver a convincing performance tonight. My tactical approach was flawed last time, but today I executed exactly what we had worked on diligently in training.” With this defeat, Saludar’s professional record drops to 37-10-1 (26 KOs).

Welterweight 8 Rounds

Ryuko Ishii (Tokashiki) [TKO 1 Round 1 Min 42 Sec] Marlon Paniamogan (Philippines)

The physically imposing Ishii, exhibiting the powerful build of a natural puncher, immediately applied pressure from a southpaw stance from the opening bell. After connecting with a clipping right hook, he initiated a fierce offensive assault, landing a succession of right hooks and straight lefts to score the initial knockdown. Paniamogan showed resilience in beating the count, but subsequently engaged in a firefight with Ishii. The Japanese fighter timed another right hook perfectly during the exchange to score a second knockdown, prompting an immediate stoppage.

With the victory, Ishii improves his record to 7-1-1 (7 KOs), maintaining a 100% knockout ratio in his wins. Paniamogan drops to 13-6-1 (6 KOs).

54kg Catchweight 6 Rounds

Tomu Kataoka (Ohashi) [TKO 3 Round 2 Min 31 Sec] Attachai Prasertri (Thailand)

The professional debut of Tomu Kataoka, the younger brother of Raito Kataoka and one of the highly touted prospects out of the Ohashi Gym, concluded inside the distance. Facing Attachai, who entered the bout with a record of 8-6 (5 KOs), the southpaw utilized his reach to land long-range punches from the outside. Kataoka consistently found his target without overcommitting while smoothly evading his opponent’s counters, eventually forcing referee Martin to intervene during a multi-punch combination in the third round.

“I will work hard to ensure a definitive knockout victory in my next fight,” Kataoka stated in his post-fight interview.

Attendance: 1,580

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).

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).

“I kept the hotel room completely pitch-black, but as usual, I could not sleep a wink,” Yabuki said. Although he added, “My body is stiff from muscle soreness, which is also typical,” his articulate speech showed no signs of fatigue.

Regarding his harsh self-assessment immediately after the bout, where he rated his performance “10 out of 100,” Yabuki maintained his stance. “I have not reviewed the footage yet, but that assessment remains unchanged,” he said, indicating that the sensation of the fight was still fresh. “Scoring two knockdowns in the opening round made me fight with too much tension. [Calixto] had prepared tactics for me, and while I had the confidence to overcome them, I failed to do so,” he explained with a somber expression. “He consistently kept his weight on his back foot and timed his counters to my leads. He was looking to counter after my attacks, and I knew I would be caught if I overcommitted. I had to box while constantly factoring that in,” he added, revealing the psychological need for caution.

Nevertheless, it was Yabuki who consistently initiated the exchanges and controlled the tempo in both offense and defense. In the championship rounds, he staggered Calixto with a counter right and unleashed a flurry of punches, demonstrating his ability to create a stoppage opportunity. “I can only say that my opponent showed immense resilience,” Yabuki remarked, expressing admiration for the durability of Calixto, who had never been dropped previously. As the recipient of the previous year’s Knockout of the Year award, Yabuki remains deeply committed to securing stoppages. “I want to expand my tactical repertoire so that I can naturally utilize different options even when a fight unfolds like that,” he stated, showing strong motivation to diversify his routes to a finish.

Having defeated dangerous Latin American contenders in three consecutive bouts—following victories over Angel Ayala (Mexico) and Felix Alvarado (Nicaragua)—Yabuki reiterated his desires for his next appearance. “I do not mind who it is, as long as they are a world champion.” A potential matchup against Andrew Moloney (Australia), who recaptured a super-flyweight world title on the same card, remains an option. “Of course, I would like to do it,” Yabuki noted. However, he remained cautious regarding the ideal weight class, adding, “Looking at the rehydration weight of fighters like Moloney at super-flyweight, they scale around 56kg. That is slightly too heavy for me.” Regarding technical adjustments, he identified physical development as a key objective: “I need to build a physique that ensures I am not pushed back when an opponent applies pressure.”

Despite visible swelling under his right eye, Yabuki demonstrated his dedication to the youth fighters he trains. “There is a tournament for the kids, so I will be back at the gym in a day or two.” It is certain that he will also resume his own training shortly.

When asked what score he would have given himself had he secured a knockout victory the previous night, Yabuki concluded, “If I had finished him in the opening round, it would have been 100 points.” *Akira Honma

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).

The contest began with both fighters exchanging left jabs while circling steadily to their left. As Calixto attempted to counter Yabuki’s jab with overhand rights, Yabuki evaded with subtle footwork, established distance with his lead jab, and scored the opening knockdown with a powerful right hook immediately following a straight right.

Upon Calixto beating the count, Yabuki registered a second knockdown with a well-timed right cross. In the second round, the champion landed a left hook followed instantly by a short right. In the third, Yabuki utilized precise lateral movement to trap a retreating Calixto against the ropes, sinking a powerful left hook into the midsection.

In the fourth round, Yabuki staggered Calixto with a sharp left body shot from mid-range and pinned him against the ropes with a flurry of combinations. However, rather than overcommitting, Yabuki evaded the challenger’s desperate counters and disciplinedly returned to his back-foot boxing, whilst occasionally finding a home for a leaping left hook.

Calixto mounted a clear resurgence in the fifth round. Reversing roles, the challenger advanced behind a sharp left jab and repeatedly connected with left hooks, further punctuating his success with a long overhand right.

Calixto continued to press forward behind straight right hands to the body and looping overhand rights. Yabuki attempted to deter the advance with lead left hooks, and by the seventh round, he established his rhythm through subtle upper-body movement and footwork, implementing an effective counter-punching strategy. In the eighth, Yabuki intensified his attack, primarily relying on his left hook to completely neutralize Calixto’s offensive output.

As Calixto continued to press forward, Yabuki repeatedly lured him in before deterring the advance with powerful rights and left hooks. In the 10th round, Yabuki landed a counter right and attempted to finish the doubled-over challenger with further right hands, but the Mexican displayed immense durability to survive the onslaught.

Desperate to turn the tide, Calixto mounted a ferocious attack in the 11th and final rounds, unleashing heavy combinations. Yabuki, however, remained defensively sound, blocking and evading the incoming punches before pushing Calixto back in the final moments with left hooks to the body and downward right hands.

“Because the start went so well, I fought with too much tension throughout the fight,” Yabuki said in a self-critical post-fight interview. “I landed good shots in the middle rounds, but he answered back with a lot of determination. My performance became too predictable. It was a difficult fight from that point onward, and he possessed a deceptive strength that you couldn’t see from the outside. My corner instructed me to watch out for dangerous punches and to be careful after throwing combinations, but there were areas where I failed to execute properly.”

Nevertheless, Yabuki expressed his gratitude for the realization of the event, which had temporarily faced cancellation risks, adding: “I was able to compete today thanks to everyone’s support. I cannot make grand statements based on tonight’s performance, but I can grow by overcoming this type of fight.”

With the victory, the 33-year-old Yabuki improved his record to 20-4 (18 KOs). The 31-year-old Calixto fell to 24-2-1 (10 KOs).

Casimero initiated a fierce assault from the opening bell. Pressing forward systematically, the Filipino landed a double left hook to the body that forced Nery to his knees for the first knockdown. Although Nery beat the count and threw a looping left hook in response, Casimero feinted with a right before connecting with a left hook to register a second knockdown. A subsequent left hook sent Nery to the canvas for a third time within the first round.

In the second round, Nery attempted to mount a comeback, throwing a long left uppercut off a right hand. Casimero evaded the punch and countered with a right to score yet another knockdown. In the third round, Nery stepped on his opponent’s foot and lost his balance, resulting in a highly unfortunate knockdown ruling by the referee.

The definitive conclusion came in the fourth round. Casimero showed a left uppercut following a right hand to occupy Nery’s guard, before perfectly timing a follow-up left hook. The punch sent Nery flat on his back, prompting the referee to waive off the contest immediately.

Casimero (37) improved his record to 36-5-1 (25 KOs) with a performance that showcased his trademark power. Nery (31), who had failed to make weight the previous day by scaling 3 pounds (approximately 1.4kg) over the contract limit, dropped to 37-3 (28 KOs).

Garcia, as is his signature style, advanced steadily to unleash hooks from both flanks, while Moloney countered by stepping back and blocking before firing straight returns. In the second round, however, a clash of heads left Moloney with a cut above his left eye, prompting Garcia to instantly intensify his pressure with a barrage of punches. Moloney targeted the midsection with short counter-punches, while Garcia mixed in bold right uppercuts before slamming left hooks to the body. Concerned by the bleeding, Moloney appeared to be gradually losing ground.

In the fifth round, however, the momentum began to shift subtly as Moloney adjusted his strategy, maintaining a strict distance to make Garcia miss. Reclaiming control, Moloney landed short, straight punches with both hands to both head and body, while also timing left hooks to the midsection to systematically diminish Garcia’s momentum.

Having controlled the middle rounds, Moloney faced renewed pressure in the ninth when Garcia switched to a southpaw stance and pressed forward, replicating the high-volume combinations displayed in the opening rounds. Moloney remained disciplined, diligently seeking and landing left hooks to the body at crucial moments, though Garcia’s relentless work rate also left a strong impression.

The 35-year-old Moloney improved his record to 29-4 (18 KOs), with 1 no-contest. The 36-year-old Garcia fell to 23-7-2 (13 KOs), with 1 no-contest.

Angeletti, staying on the back foot to maintain distance, repeatedly caught the hard-hitting southpaw Llover with left hooks as Llover attempted to press forward with powerful straight lefts.

In the second round, Llover intensified his pressure by targeting the body with straight lefts before landing a looping left around Angeletti’s extended right guard to score a knockdown. It was a highly unfortunate moment for Angeletti, who had simultaneously lost his footing after his leg was stepped on.

Although Llover looked to capitalize on the momentum, Angeletti skillfully neutralized the aggression, turning his opponent and at times forcing Llover against the ropes. While Llover demonstrated solid defensive slipping capabilities with his back to the ropes, his vaunted offensive output gradually began to diminish.

By the middle rounds, Angeletti began landing impactful right hands and increasingly forced Llover onto the back foot. Llover attempted to break the momentum by launching leaping rights off his straight lefts, but Angeletti maintained control with versatile boxing, proving effective both moving backward and pressing forward.

In the 10th round, Angeletti trapped Llover in the corner and unleashed a combination, landing successive short rights. He then established distance with his lead foot, controlling Llover behind a quick, long left jab.

Llover continued to look for a decisive straight left until the final bell, but Angeletti’s defense—reliant on high guards, footwork, and inside smothering—proved superior. Angeletti also displayed greater versatility by effectively utilizing both hands, contrasting sharply with Llover, who became overly reliant on his predictable straight left.

With the victory, the 29-year-old Angeletti improved to 15-0 (8 KOs). The 23-year-old Llover suffered his first professional defeat, moving to 17-1 (12 KOs).