Organized by Mutoh Gym, “Cosme Felice & M-Lavi presents You will be the Champion 27” took place on the 15th at the Sumiyoshi Sports Center in Osaka.
In the 12-round main event—an IBF Super Bantamweight title eliminator—8th-ranked Ryosuke Nishida (29, Mutoh), the former IBF Bantamweight champion, defeated 4th-ranked Bryan Mercado Vazquez (30, Mexico) via a 7th-round technical decision (2:53). With this victory, Nishida secured the mandatory challenger spot for undisputed four-belt champion Naoya Inoue (Ohashi).
In the co-main event, a 10-round bout for the vacant OPBF Lightweight title, 1st-ranked former Japanese champion Shuma Nakazato (29, Okinawa) dropped 3rd-ranked Jun Min-ho (32, South Korea) en route to a 3-0 unanimous decision victory to claim the new championship.
The 10-round OPBF Super Bantamweight title match between 2nd-ranked Kaito Yamazaki (27, Mutoh) and 5th-ranked Mugicha Nakagawa (37, Mitsuki) ended in a split-draw, leaving the title vacant. Additionally, 10th-ranked Japanese Super Bantamweight Juiki Tatsuyoshi (29, Osaka Teiken) returned to the ring after an eight-month hiatus, but his 8-round bout against unranked Shoki Yamauchi (26, Honda Fitness) also resulted in a draw.
◇ IBF Super Bantamweight Title Eliminator (12 Rounds)
Ryosuke Nishida (Mutoh) [Technical Decision, 7th Round 2:53, 3-0 (69-64, 69-64, 69-64)] Bryan Mercado Vazquez (Mexico)
Mercado looked dangerous early, showing off a powerful straight right before transitioning into a looping overhand right. However, Nishida read the trajectory from the opening round, neutralizing the threat with sharp step-back movement.
In the second round, an accidental clash of heads left Nishida with a cut above his left eye. Sensing an opening, Mercado went on the offensive, charging in with swinging rights. Nishida remained composed, slipping the right hand and countering with a left shovel hook to the body, followed by a hard straight left to hold his ground.
After finding his long-range bombs smothered by Nishida’s tight guard, Mercado shifted tactics in the fifth, forcing an inside battle with high-volume combinations. Nishida met him head-on in the pocket, landing a piercing left hook to the liver and pushing Mercado back with his own flurries.
By the seventh round, both fighters were marked by cuts and visible swelling. As Nishida worked the body, Mercado ramped up the intensity of his inside attack, firing right uppercuts and hooks. While Nishida’s high guard prevented any clean knockout blows, his existing cut worsened, prompting a doctor’s inspection. Referee Nobusuike Ikehara subsequently called a halt to the contest.
“Moving up a weight class, my mind feels sharper and I can move better than I did at bantamweight,” Nishida said after the fight. “I respected his power a bit too much and started out tense. I’ve secured the mandatory spot [for Naoya Inoue], but I’m not at that level yet. I want to learn from today’s mistakes so that I’m truly ready when that challenge comes.” Nishida also expressed gratitude to his growing fanbase, which has surged since his first career loss to Junto Nakatani (M.T).
Nishida improves to 11-1 (2 KOs). Mercado, who fought with typical Mexican bravery, falls to 32-2 (26 KOs).
◇ OPBF Lightweight Title Decision Match (10 Rounds)
Shuma Nakazato (Okinawa) [Decision, 3-0 (96-93, 98-91, 98-91)] Jun Min-ho (South Korea)
The bout saw Jun utilizing his range with long jabs and straight rights, while Nakazato worked to close the distance, targeting the body with lefts and finding openings for his right hand.
In the third round, a right from Nakazato opened a cut on Jun’s left eyelid, but the Korean fighter responded aggressively, momentarily rocking Nakazato with a leaping left hook. Sensing the danger, Nakazato used his footwork to reset the distance, expertly timing his left body shots as Jun pressed forward. In the fifth, Nakazato increased his output, landing a clean right followed by a left hook that sent Jun reeling to the canvas on his seat.
Open scoring after five rounds favored Nakazato (50-44, 50-44, 48-46). The middle rounds turned into a bloody war of attrition; a clash of heads in the seventh cut Nakazato‘s forehead, while Jun suffered a cut between the eyes. Despite Nakazato’s dominance with body shots and combinations in the eighth and final rounds, a resilient Jun fought through the damage to reach the final bell.
By winning the title once held by his father, former champion Shigeru Nakazato, Shuma expressed a mix of joy and self-reflection: “I’m happy to wear the same belt as my father. I wanted to finish him in the closing rounds, but that lack of finishing power is where I still fall short of his legacy.”
Nakazato improves to 16-8-4 (8 KOs); Jun falls to 19-6-2 (5 KOs).
◇ OPBF Super Bantamweight Title Decision Match (10 Rounds)
Kaito Yamazaki (Mutoh) [Draw, 1-1 (97-93, 94-96, 95-95)] Mugicha Nakagawa (Mitsuki)
The contest featured a clash of styles: Nakagawa firing constant long jabs while Yamazaki steadily pressured forward. While Nakagawa found success with counter rights and hooks to the body, Yamazaki landed heavy right crosses and left hooks.
Open scoring at the halfway mark had Yamazaki up 2-1. As the fight progressed, Nakagawa adapted by using uppercuts and hooks to harass Yamazaki‘s guard, while Yamazaki found rhythm in the later rounds with penetrating straight rights. However, Nakagawa‘s unique tempo and counter-punching prevented Yamazaki from ever taking full control, resulting in a split draw. The title remains vacant.
Yamazaki: 11-1-1 (6 KOs); Nakagawa: 32-11-4 (20 KOs).
◇ Super Bantamweight 8-Rounds
Juiki Tatsuyoshi (Osaka Teiken) [Draw, 1-0 (77-75, 76-76, 76-76)] Shoki Yamauchi (Honda Fitness)
The 10th-ranked Tatsuyoshi barely escaped with a draw after a grueling struggle against the unranked Yamauchi. Yamauchi started fast, landing sharp jabs and “reverse one-twos” (right-left combinations) that left Tatsuyoshi with a bloody nose by the second round.
While Tatsuyoshi landed his trademark short left hook in the third, Yamauchi showcased superior ring generalship, stepping back to land counter rights. Tatsuyoshi finally gained momentum in the fifth by applying heavy pressure and landing power shots, which seemed to rattle Yamauchi. Though Tatsuyoshi increased his head movement and body work to mitigate Yamauchi‘s clean scoring, he was unable to corner the mobile underdog before the end of the fight.
Tatsuyoshi: 17-1-2 (10 KOs); Yamauchi: 7-6-1 (6 KOs).
◇ Super Flyweight 8-Rounder Keisuke Iwasaki (All) [KO, 4th Round 1:55] Yuttichai Wannawong (Thailand)
