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Home > Match Information > Sasaki stops Toyoshima in 1st round, wrests WBO Asia-Pacific welterweight title in dramatic fashion

Sasaki stops Toyoshima in 1st round, wrests WBO Asia-Pacific welterweight title in dramatic fashion

Jan 15, 2023 10:33 am

Hard-hitting Jin Sasaki of Hachioji Nakaya Boxing Gym, unleashing a barrage of wild but strong left and right combinations to the head and body, stopped champion Ryota Toyoshima of Teiken Boxing Gym in the first round to wrest the World Boxing Organization’s Asia-Pacific welterweight title on Jan. 14 in Tokyo.

The technical knockout of the scheduled 12-rounder at Korakuen Hall came 1 minute and 56 seconds into the round when the 21-year-old Sasaki, ranked ninth in the WBO’s Asia-Pacific super lightweight division, dropped heavily favored Toyoshima with a wild but sizzling left hook to the head, sending the champion to the canvas, which prompted the referee to stop the contest.

The 27-year-old Toyoshima also holds the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation’s welterweight title. But the OPBF title was not at stake.

After the fight, Sasaki said, ‘’Ever since the offer to challenge the title, I have never ever forgotten things about him as I saw his video many times. Thanks to Mr. Toyoshima, I was able to become stronger. While I had been planning to go the distance, I myself was surprised the fight ended in the first round.’’
With the loss Toyoshima failed in his third defense of the title he won from Yuki Beppu of Kurume Kushima Boxing Gym in May 2021.

Toyoshima came forward from the opening bell with left jabs and right hooks, and Sasaki, who uses the swarmer style of boxing, responded to this at the drop of the hat.

With the victory, Sasaki improved his record to 14 wins, including 13 KOs, against a loss and a draw. For his part, Toyoshima, who is currently ranked 11th in the welterweight division by the WBO and 12th by the World Boxing Association, fell to a 16-3-1 win-loss-draw tally with 10 KOs.

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