The event titled “Boxing Kumagaya Showdown 1” took place on the afternoon of the 19th at the Kumagaya Citizens Gymnasium. Kumagaya is the hometown of former WBO world flyweight champion Sho Kimura (37), who retired and established his local BMind Gym last year. In collaboration with promoter DANGAN, the event served effectively as Kimura’s promotional debut.
再起を果たした関根
In the main event, lightweight Shun Sekine (Chichibu) snapped a two-fight losing streak with a fourth-round knockout victory over Thailand’s Saharat Teheran at 1:20. Sekine secured the stoppage after flooring his opponent three times with body shots across the third and fourth rounds. Sekine improves his record to 13-3-1 (11 KOs).
In the super-welterweight semi-final, Yukiya Ochiai (Ashikaga) returned to the win column following his first professional defeat, securing a unanimous decision victory over 45-fight veteran Channarong Injanpa of Thailand. Over the scheduled eight rounds, Ochiai struggled to find rhythm against the Thai fighter’s erratic, wild counter-punching. All three judges scored the bout 80-72 in favor of Ochiai, who moves to 3-1 (1 KO).
Earlier on the card, B-Mind Gym’s Tsukasa Takagi, the first professional fighter under the banner of former world champion Sho Kimura, made his debut against Kantaro Mizobata (Leopard Tamakuma). The fight ended in a second-round TKO loss for Takagi, with the referee intervening after the debutant ceased to return fire during a barrage. Despite the defeat, gym proprietor Sho Kimura reiterated his commitment to fostering future champions in Kumagaya and maintaining a schedule of annual events.
協力してスパー大会を開いた木村㊨、田中の両元王者
Prior to the main card, a 30-bout sparring tournament was held in collaboration with former four-division world champion Kosei Tanaka (30), a former adversary and close friend of Kimura. Kimura oversaw the proceedings from ringside, while Tanaka provided individual commentary and technical analysis for every one of the 60 participants after each bout. The unique format was well-received by both the competitors and those in attendance.
