Top-ranked challenger Yuna Hara of Shinsei Boxing Gym stopped Kosuke Saka of Nakazato Boxing Gym in the fourth round and wrested the Japanese super featherweight title in the chief supporting card for the day’s WBO Asia-Pacific bantamweight title match vis-à-vis the 3150Fight Survival Vo.4 event on Apr. 1 in Osaka.

The technical knockout of the scheduled 10-rounder at the annex of EDION Arena Osaka came 1 minute and 3 seconds into the round when Hara landed a devastating straight right to the head, sending his gutsy but one-dimensional champion down on his back strongly.

While the 31-year-old Saka struggled to his feet to beat the referee’s count at nine, Hara, 28, swarmed all over him by landing one-two straight punches, prompting the referee to step in to call off the fight.

It was an exciting slugfest as Saka, who was making his third title defense, decked Hara in the first round with an overhand right to the head. But Hara stood up for a mandatory eight count and began to rally strongly later in the round by connecting with straight rights to the head.

Hara increased his offense in the second and third rounds as he wobbled Saka immediately before the end of the third round, which led to his fourth-round attack.

After the fight, Hara said, ‘’Though today is an April Fool’s Day, this was real. I was surprised in the first-round knockdown because Mr. Saka possesses hard punches. I hope I can eventually win a world title.’’
With the win, Hara Improved his record to 13 wins, including seven KOs, against two losses and a draw. For his part, Saka impaired to a 22-7 win-loss tally with 19 KOs.

Meanwhile, top-ranked Rei Nakajima of Ishida Boxing Club battered second-ranked Hisashi Kato of Kumagaya Kosaka Boxing Gym into submission in the ninth round and became the Japanese super welterweight interim champion in one of the supporting cards of the day’s event.

The technical knockout of the scheduled 10-rounder was 1 minute and 27 seconds into the round when Nakajima’s wild left and right hooks to the left-handed Kato put the latter on the seat of his trunks near a neutral corner, and the referee stopped the fight immediately.

Champion Yuichi Ideta of Misako Boxing Gym suffered injuries after his successful title defense over Makoto Kawasaki of RK Kamata Boxing Family Gym last November and he cannot defend his title for the time being.

With the win, the 24-year-old Nakajima improved his record to six wins, including a KO, against a loss, while the 37-year-old Kato fell to a 12-11-2 win-loss-draw tally with eight KOs.