The “Diamond Glove” event held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on the 14th saw the crowning of two new champions in both featured title bouts. In the main event, a 10-round dual-sanctioned contest for the vacant OPBF and the Japanese super-flyweight titles, Japanese No. 1 and OPBF No. 5 Kyotaro Yoshida (Watanabe) defeated Japanese champion and OPBF No. 2 Jinya Yamaguchi (Misako) via split decision. The judges’ scores were 97-93, 97-93, and 94-96 in favour of Yoshida. Yamaguchi failed in his second attempt to defend the national title.
In the semi-final, a 10-round clash for the Japanese light-flyweight title, second-ranked Daiki Kameyama (Watanabe) secured a unanimous decision victory over champion Toshiki Kawamitsu (Misako). The scores were 96-94, 96-94, and 97-93. Kawamitsu failed in his first title defence.
山口に雪辱をはたした吉田㊧が新王者に
In a rematch of their April last year encounter—which Yamaguchi won via unanimous decision—Yoshida successfully exacted his revenge. Yoshida initiated the contest with a thunderous left uppercut that snapped Yamaguchi’s head back, establishing an early lead with straight rights to the head and body. His technical proficiency was evident as he consistently found a home for the left jab.
Yamaguchi attempted to close the range behind his lead, but was frequently frustrated by Yoshida’s superior distance management and timely left hooks to the body. By the fourth, Yamaguchi began to bleed from the nose under the impact of Yoshida’s straight rights. Although the champion sought to rally with flurries on the inside, Yoshida utilised his uppercut to pivot out of danger, meeting the oncoming pressure with composed, economical right hands. The scores at the end of the fifth round were 48-47, 49-46, and 50-45, all in favour of Yoshida.
The latter half of the fight saw Yamaguchi surge forward with aggressive combinations. Yoshida met the onslaught with clinical counter-punching, landing left hooks, short rights, and uppercuts. As Yamaguchi relentlessly pressed, Yoshida neutralised the attack with subtle lateral movement and pocket positioning, consistently landing understated but precise short counters.
Yamaguchi’s strongest moment came in the ninth, where he stalled Yoshida’s momentum with a series of clean right hooks and left straights to both body and head. However, Yoshida weathered the storm and responded with his own flurries in the final round to hold off Yamaguchi’s late charge.
“I am incredibly happy. Yamaguchi’s pressure was immense, but I managed to navigate it. I want to defend this title convincingly to prove this win wasn’t a fluke,” said the new champion. Yoshida’s (28) measured temperament proved decisive; his record improves to 8-4 (4 KOs). For Yamaguchi (26), the loss marks his first professional defeat, moving to 7-1-1 (2 KOs).
川満に打ち勝った亀山㊧
Kameyama Secures Major Upset as Late Replacement
Stepping in as a late substitute following the withdrawal of top-ranked Ryu Isogane (Ohashi) due to injury, Daiki Kameyama capitalised on his second title opportunity—his first since a 12-round draw for the WBO Asia Pacific flyweight title in April 2023.
The southpaw Kameyama utilised upper-body movement to land short lefts, while the champion, Kawamitsu, maintained a firm stance, digging in heavy body shots and right hooks. The contest erupted into a high-volume trade-off as early as the second round. Kawamitsu applied constant pressure with thudding hooks, but he was consistently outworked by Kameyama, whose punch output was more than double that of the champion. Kameyama’s frequent right hooks took an early toll, causing visible swelling around Kawamitsu’s left eye.
Open scoring after the fifth round revealed Kameyama in the lead at 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46. Spurred by the deficit, Kawamitsu intensified his forward march, yet the determined Kameyama refused to let his work rate drop. In the seventh, despite being caught by a Kawamitsu left hook, Kameyama responded with a flurry while pinned against the ropes.
Ultimately, Kawamitsu was unable to land a decisive finishing blow against an opponent who, despite the torrid early pace, maintained a relentless cadence of combinations until the final bell.
Kameyama (29), having defeated a world-ranked opponent (WBC 7th, IBF 11th, WBA 13th, WBO 14th), stated: “I cannot talk about world titles based on today’s performance, but after a short rest, I will return to training and aim for the top.” Kameyama improves to 13-8-2 (3 KOs). Kawamitsu (30), who sustained significant punishment throughout the bout, falls to 12-3 (8 KOs).
佐川が原を倒す
Super-Featherweight 8-Rounder Ryo Sagawa (Misako) [TKO Round 3, 1:40] Yuna Hara (Shinsei)
This clash between former Japanese champions—Sagawa (featherweight) and Hara (super-featherweight)—concluded with a definitive one-punch knockout.
Both fighters, sharing a preference for mid-range exchanges and a reliance on the straight right as a finishing blow, opened with a tactical battle of jabs. The contest remained evenly poised as Sagawa targeted the body with short rights while Hara worked his left hook. Just as Hara appeared to shed his early stiffness and establish an offensive rhythm, Sagawa landed a thunderous straight right. As Hara collapsed forward, the referee immediately waved off the contest without a count.
Sagawa (32), who likely secures a return to the rankings by defeating OPBF 7th and Japanese 2nd-ranked Hara, improves to 14-5 (9 KOs). Hara (31) moves to 14-5-3 (8 KOs).
Super-Flyweight 8-Rounder Kenta Nakagawa (Misako) [KO Round 3, 0:50] Eikichi Ueno (Hanagata)
World-ranked Kenta Nakagawa (IBF 8th, WBA 12th) [Note: Text lists IBF twice, WBO likely intended] halted the unranked Ueno with a clinical barrage.
In a match-up of southpaws, Ueno showed early aggression, momentarily unsettling the veteran with heavy hooks. However, in the third round, Nakagawa floored Ueno with a three-punch right hook combination followed by a piercing left to the body. Although Ueno regained his feet, he was unable to continue and was counted out. Nakagawa (40) improves to 28-5-1 (15 KOs), while Ueno (24) falls to 7-4-2 (2 KOs).
