Naoya Inoue (Ohashi), the highly touted rookie with seven amateur national titles, made a successful professional debut in a 49kg-contract eight-rounder at Korakuen Hall on the 2nd. Inoue defeated Crison Omayao (Philippines), ranked 7th in the OPBF minimumweight division, via TKO at 2:04 of the fourth round.
In the opening round, Inoue established control by landing effective right straight leads to the body and utilizing a sharp jab, occasionally punctuating his dominance with counters. While there were moments where his work became slightly untidy, he closed the show in the fourth with a devastating left hook to the body that sent Omayao down for the full count.
The level of interest in the blue-chip prospect exceeded expectations, with NHK and all major Tokyo-based commercial broadcasters congregating for the post-fight press conference. Appearing at the specially convened media session, Inoue remained grounded despite the knockout win. “I am satisfied with the finish, but my guard was loose and I took punches; it was full of flaws,” Inoue remarked. “I want to start addressing these issues from tomorrow and begin preparations for my next bout.”
In the main event for the vacant Japanese minimumweight title, top-ranked Ryuji Hara (Ohashi) defeated No. 2 Kenichi Horikawa (SF Maki) via a 3-0 universal decision (96-94, 97-95, 97-94) to claim the championship.
Utilising superior speed and volume, Hara seized control in the opening round by buckling Horikawa’s knees with a left hook. Although Horikawa mounted a late rally and placed Hara in significant trouble during the final frame, Hara’s aggressive approach throughout the contest earned him the victory on the cards.
In the featherweight 10-round semi-feature, WBA No. 8-ranked Satoshi Hosono (Ohashi) secured a TKO victory over Japanese No. 9 Rikiya Fukuhara (Watanabe) at 0:48 of the seventh round. Hosono struggled at times, absorbing a high volume of punches from Fukuhara, but ultimately settled the bout by detonating his trademark power in the seventh.
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