Sixth-ranked Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation super featherweight Masanori Rikiishi of Midori Boxing Gym pounded out a 12-round lopsided decision over third-ranked Takuya Watanabe of DANGAN AOKI Boxing Gym and captured the vacant OPBF crown on May 15 at Tokyo’s Sumida City Gymnasium.
The fight was held as the chief supporting card for the day’s Japanese and World Boxing Organization’s Asia-Pacific featherweight title match held at the same place.

The title was left vacant by Yoshimitsu Kimura of Shisei Boxing Gym.

Left-handed Rikiishi, a younger brother of former World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Masamichi Yabuki of the Midori gym, dominated the fight throughout by landing right jabs, right hooks and straight lefts to the head and body although he could not knock down his veteran and yet tough opponent.

With the win, the 27-year-old Rikiishi improved his record to 11 wins, including six KOs, against a loss. For his part, Watanabe, 33, impaired to a 38-11-1 win-loss-draw tally with 21 KOs.

Earlier in the same gymnasium, OPBF female minimumweight champion Mizuki Chimoto of Watanabe Boxing Gym hammered out an eight-round unanimous decision over former Japanese atomweight champion Kaori Nagai of Shinsei Boxing Gym and retained the title for the first time.

While they mostly fought at close range, there were no knockdowns in the fight.
With the win, the 28-year-old Chimoto, who fought more than 50 bouts as an amateur, upped her undefeated record to four wins, including one KO. The 32-year-old Nagai dropped to a 6-4-3 win-loss-draw tally with two KOs.