By Joe Koizumi
Photos By Naoki Fukuda
Unbeaten WBA#2 Ryusei Matsumoto (7-0, 4 KOs; amateur 77-15, 6 stoppages), 105, was awarded a vacant WBA minimumweight belt as a unanimous technical decision was awarded after WBA#1 Yuni Takada (16-9-3. 6 KOs). 105, became flat on the canvas to be unable to go on with an unintentional accidental butt at 1:26 of the fifth round on Sunday at IG Arena, Nagoya, Japan. The official tallies were as follows: Katsuhiko Nakamura and Kazutoshi Yoshida both 50-45, Tetsuya Iida 50-46, all Japanese judges in favor of Matsumoto.
It was a very bizarre ending after no hot exchanges of punches had been shown by the contestants with only southpaw Matsumoto being aggressive and Takada too cautious to throw punches in the first four rounds. Takada, handled by formerly three-time world challenger Lion Furuyama, was carried out of the ring on a stretcher. The referee was Koji Tanaka.
The loser Takada, streaming blood from the face, was urgently hospitalized, but he regained his consciousness and returned to the arena to accept press interview afterward. He said, “I’m willing to fight Matsumoto again.” We hope so because each had an unfinished business.
Promoter: Ohashi Promotions in association with Teiken Promotions.
WBA supervisor: Jose Oliver Gomez (Panama).
WBA president Gilberto Jesus Mendoza was in attendance.
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