The main event of the 152nd Phoenix Battle, held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on the 24th, featured a 10-round Japanese minimumweight title match between champion Katsuki Mori (Ohashi) and No. 1 challenger Masatora Okada (JB SPORTS). After fighting the full distance, the bout ended in a 1-0 majority draw (98–92, 95–95, 95–95). Mori successfully completed his first title defense.
互いの武器をぶつけ合ってドローの森㊨と岡田
Mori moved in a high-tempo, rhythmic fashion, looking for the right timing to unleash combinations, while Okada maintained a steady, composed stance, aiming to land heavy lefts. The first two rounds saw neither fighter land clean scoring blows, but in the third, Mori began to draw Okada in while fighting on the backfoot, successfully landing rights and left hooks to the body as Okada pressed forward. Action intensified as Okada countered Mori’s flurries with short lefts and uppercuts.
The open scoring after five rounds showed Mori in the lead on all cards: 48–47, 48–47, and 49–46.
As Mori continued to circle to his right, Okada connected with a left hook, prompting Mori to dig deep and fire a series of left body hooks followed by heavy rights. This marked Mori’s first truly forceful offensive of the match. However, in the sixth, just as Mori initiated an attack behind a left body hook, Okada landed a clean right hook. The blow caused Mori’s nose to bleed, but it was Mori who ramped up the pressure, landing a clean left hook of his own to weather the crisis.
The dynamic remained a battle between Mori’s overwhelming volume and Okada’s pursuit of a single decisive blow. In the ninth, Okada snapped Mori’s head back with a left, only for Mori to force Okada back with a spirited combination starting from a left hook to the body. Not to be outdone, Okada finally increased his own output to push back.
In the final round, Okada landed a powerful right hook, while Mori aggressively went on the offensive with short rights and a triple-uppercut combination. Ultimately, the judges had to weigh Mori’s activity against the impact of Okada’s single shots, resulting in a draw. Mori (26) moves to 14-4-1 (3 KOs), while Okada (31) moves to 10-6-2 (4 KOs).
