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)

計量をクリアした山中㊧と鵜川

The main event features a vacant IBF female world atomweight title bout between No. 1 ranked Sumire Yamanaka(Shinsei), who weighed in at 45.9 kg, and No. 3 ranked Nao Ugawa (Misako), who weighed 46.0 kg.

The 24-year-old Yamanaka previously held this same belt but was stripped of her title after losing a four-belt unification match in Germany last April; she now seeks to return to the world throne. She revealed that she has been sending sparring videos via LINE to her brother, former WBO world minimumweight champion Ryuya Yamanaka, for advice, noting, “He told me I look like I’m in good form.”

For the 30-year-old Ugawa, this marks her first world title challenge in her seventh professional fight. While stating, “I’ll do what I need to do, just like any other match,” she also admitted, “I am definitely nervous.” Ugawa, who is an employee of the Japan Volleyball Association, expressed her gratitude: “I’ve been able to continue this far thanks to the understanding of the people at my workplace.” Seeing the light blue IBF female championship belt, she boosted her motivation, saying, “It’s large and cool. I hope I can win and turn my gratitude into a tangible form.” Yamanaka holds a record of 9-1 (3 KOs), while Ugawa remains undefeated at 6-0.

All seven matches scheduled for the day are female bouts, with four featuring OPBF (Oriental and Pacific) or WBO Asia Pacific titles on the line. Additionally, in a non-title 47kg contract 6-round bout, Madoka Wada (DANGAN)—a two-time bronze medalist at the Amateur World Championships—will face Panida Chatluang of Thailand. The 31-year-old Wada has been undefeated with five wins (4 KOs) since turning professional the year before last.

The event will be streamed live on Lemino.