Top-ranked World Boxing Association flyweight Seigo ‘’Yuri’’ Akui of Kurashiki Moriyasu Boxing Gym showed a fine form in his public sparring at Tokyo’s Teiken Boxing Gym on Oct. 24 in preparation for his challenge to champion Artem Dalakian of Ukraine for the latter’s title on Nov. 15 at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena.

  The 28-year-old Akui went three rounds with the World Boxing Organization’s fourth-ranked Asia-Pacific super flyweight Hayate Kaji of Teiken and displayed sharp left jabs and counter rights.

  After the sparring, Kaji said, ‘’His jabs came at the right moment with strong penetrating power. They came in a slow rhythm sometime and suddenly became faster. I felt as if I were induced by him.’’

  Besides Kaji, Akui, who has been training at the gym since leaving Moriyasu gym in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, at the beginning of this month, has been sparring with former Japanese, WBO’s Asia-Pacific and Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation light flyweight champion Shokichi Iwata and fourth-ranked Japanese light flyweight Kyosuke Takami, both of Teiken gym, along with Japanese flyweight kingpin Jyukiya Iimura of Kadoebi Boxing Gym.

  Commenting on Dalakian, 36, Akui said, ‘’He is a difficult boxer to cope with. I want to have him adjust himself to my style of boxing. He throws punches in an anomalistic fashion. But al the same time I have to be careful about his combination blows.’’

  The Dalakian-Akui fight will serve as the chief supporting card for the WBA bantamweight champion Takuma Inoue of Ohashi Boxing Gym’s first defense of the title against former International Boxing Federation flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas of the Philippines.

  Dalakian captured the vacant title in February 2018 by decisioning Brian Viloria of the United States and has so far successfully defended the title six times. He is undefeated in his 22 bouts, including 15 KOs. Akui has a record of 18 wins, 11 by KO, against two losses and a draw.