On the night of the 7th, “Lemino BOXING Phoenix Battle 153” was held at Korakuen Hall as an all-female event. A total of seven women’s bouts took place, including five title matches.
山中㊨－鵜川の激闘
The main event for the vacant IBF Female World Atomweight title was a fierce battle worthy of “Fight of the Year” honors. No. 1-ranked Sumire Yamanaka (Shinsei), a former champion, defeated No. 3-ranked Nao Ugawa (Misako) by a 2-1 split decision. A year after losing her title in a four-belt unification match against Tina Rupprecht in Germany, Yamanaka reclaimed the light blue IBF belt.
Yamanaka, a petite southpaw infighter, landed right hooks from the opening round, but Ugawa, in her first world title challenge, moved well. In the second, Yamanaka increased the pressure, pushing forward while parrying Ugawa’s left hooks and right straights, unleashing barrages of left bodies and right hooks. The taller Ugawa countered at close range, moving subtly in all directions while landing left body hooks and short punches. In the third, Ugawa momentarily stunned Yamanaka with a counter right straight.
In the fourth, Yamanaka varied her entries, but Ugawa responded with high volume. Despite having zero professional knockouts, Ugawa’s punches were accurate, well-angled, and timed perfectly. Yamanaka’s competitive spirit kept the exchanges neck-and-neck. Despite repeatedly taking heavy right hooks from Yamanaka, Ugawa’s output never wavered.
By the sixth, Ugawa’s movement slowed slightly, allowing Yamanaka’s energetic offense to stand out. Though Ugawa held her ground and won the eighth round with uppercuts and short blows, the former champion Yamanaka refused to yield, repeatedly snapping Ugawa’s head back with left straights in the closing stages. Both fighters waged war until the final bell, which was met with thunderous applause.
The scores were 97-93, 96-94, and 94-96, favoring Yamanaka’s title reclamation. “Ugawa-san was strong,” said Yamanaka, who improved to 10-1 (3 KOs). Despite her first professional loss (6-1), Ugawa’s stock rose significantly in defeat.
Nuki Unifies Bantamweight Titles
WBO Female Asia Pacific Minimumweight Title (Vacant), 8 Rounds Ryuna Yoshikawa (Izumi-kita) [Decision 3-0 (77-75, 78-74, 78-74)] Nanako Suzuki (Yokohama Hikari) Yoshikawa took the lead using a versatile lead hand. By the second round, Suzuki’s right eye began to swell (ruled as caused by a punch). Yoshikawa loosened up, showing light footwork while landing right-left hook combinations. She pulled away by incorporating right uppercuts into her combinations. Suzuki mounted a comeback in the seventh, but Yoshikawa landed a sharp left hook in the final round to seal the victory. Yoshikawa (8-2-2, 1 KO) successfully returned to the throne, while Suzuki (9-5, 3 KOs) failed in her comeback following her title challenge against Yuko Kuroki.
OPBF & Japanese Female Bantamweight Title Unification, 8 Rounds Terumi Nuki (Shinsei) [Decision 2-1 (77-75, 77-75, 75-77)] Nana Yamashita (RE:BOOT) The unification between Japanese champion Yamashita and OPBF champion Nuki heated up instantly. Nuki’s heavy “hammer” right hand nearly buckled Yamashita in the first. While Nuki hunted for the knockout in the second, Yamashita stabilized with left jabs and counters. Trailing on the mid-fight scores, Yamashita fought back with gritty right straights. Nuki, however, displayed surprising defensive skill, using her strong lower body to weave and roll under shots. Nuki’s final-round spurt overwhelmed Yamashita’s desperate resistance. Nuki (17-7-1, 11 KOs), who has failed in four overseas world title bids, now eyes a fifth chance. Yamashita fell to 7-3 (3 KOs).
OPBF Female Atomweight Title, 8 Rounds Honoka Kano (TEAM10COUNT) [Decision 3-0 (80-71, 80-71, 80-71)] Komi Sato (Atsugi Watanabe) Kano used footwork and long punches to neutralize the undefeated challenger. In the third, Kano dropped Sato with a heavy right hand and continued to pepper her with long-range shots. Though Sato never stopped attacking, Kano looked composed throughout the bout, securing her third defense (11-1-3, 3 KOs). Sato dropped to 4-1 (3 KOs).
WBO Female Asia Pacific Atomweight Title (Vacant), 8 Rounds Shiori Yotsumoto (Shinsei) [TKO 7th Round, 0:21] Mao Kamada (Masuda) A high-volume battle where Kamada targeted the body and the 19-year-old Yotsumoto used effective uppercuts. Yotsumoto’s superior variety eventually wore Kamada down. After a flurry punctuated by a left uppercut in the seventh, the referee stopped the fight. Yotsumoto (3-0, 2 KOs), a former high school standout, dedicated the win to her late grandfather. Kamada suffered her first loss (5-1-3, 2 KOs).
Female 47kg Catchweight, 6 Rounds Madoka Wada (DANGAN) [TKO 1st Round, 1:13] Panida Chatluang (Thailand)
Female Super Bantamweight, 4 Rounds Rin Fukui (Shinsei) [TKO 3rd Round, 1:57] Miki Matsui (Matsumoto ACE)
