Japanese super flyweight champion Suzumi Takayama of Watanabe Boxing Gym, unleashing a barrage of right-left combinations, stopped top-ranked Tsubasa Murachi of Surugadanji Boxing Gym in the eighth round to retain his title at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on Sept.22.

  It was the 26-year-old Takayama’s first defense of the title he won by stopping Ryusei Kawaura of Misako Boxing Gym for the vacant title in this past June.

  The technical knockout of the scheduled 10-rounder came 2 minutes and 44 seconds into the round when the left-handed Takayama floored Murachi by landing right and left combinations to the head and body. While Murachi struggled to his feet, Takayama swarmed all over him to score another knockdown which prompted the referee to step in to call off the fight. Takayama dropped Murachi in the third round with a right hook to the head.

  While Murachi, who relinquished the World Boxing Organization’s Asia-Pacific super flyweight title for this bout, was slightly ahead on points in the first half of the fight, the undefeated Takayama showed his mettle from the sixth round based chiefly on his straight lefts and right hooks.

  With the victory, Takayama extended his unbeaten streak to seven, six by KO after turning pro in 2019. For his part, the 26-year-old Murachi fell to a 10-2-1 win-loss-draw tally with three KOs.