Category: Hiroyuki Kudaka

Okumoto upsets Kudaka to become new Japanese champion!

8/10/2018

Earlier today fight fans in Osaka saw Hiroyuki Kudaka (26-18-2, 11) [久高寛之] lose the Japanese Super Flyweight title as he attempted to record his first defense. Unfortunately for the popular former world title challenger he was unable to over-come a determined and hungry Takayuki Okumoto (21-8-3, 10) [奥本貴之], who did just enough to claim the decision win.

The fight started in an exciting fashion, with Kudaka looking to apply pressure whilst Okumoto boxed well behind his jab. It made for exciting action but also some some clumsy action with messy head clashes, resulting in both men suffered cuts. As the bout went on the action became sloppier and sloppier with clinches and wrestling starting to ruin the action, which was competitive, but not exciting.

After 5 rounds Okumoto was just in the lead, 48-47 on all 3 score cards. The action however was stifled and his jab had began to be less potent and Kudaka managed to cut the distance and get his work off more in round 6.

With Kudaka getting success Okumoto reverted to plan B and started to unload heavier artillery, landing his southpaw left hand, and his right hook, countering Kudaka and his pressure. The fight then started to warm up again, with the action getting the crowd excited as a battle ensued, with the only pauses coming when the doctors had to check the huge cuts on Kudaka.

After 10 rounds all 3 judges had scored the bout 96-94 in favour of Okumoto, who claimed the title in his second challenge, and deprived Kudaka of the belt.

(Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)

0 Comments

Kudaka and Okumoto make weight for Japanese Super Flyweight title fight!

8/9/2018

0 Comments

Tomorrow fight fans in Osaka will get the chance to see Japanese Super Flyweight champion Hiroyuki Kudaka (26-17-2, 11) [久高寛之] make his first defense of the title. The always fun to watch Kudaka will be taking on Takayuki Okumoto (20-8-3, 10) [奥本貴之], who will be fighting in his second Japanese title fight after having previously come up short against Ryuichi Funai.

Today the two men took part in their weigh in for the contest and both managed to make weight with no issues.

The champion was 114.64lbs on the scales this morning and looked in amazing shape, as he always does. He seemed confident at the weigh in and stated that he would make his first defense tomorrow and do his best for the fans.

Okumoto was even lighter, weighing in at 114.2lbs. He seemed hungry to claim the win and stated that he would take the belt tomorrow.

Although both seemed confident they also seemed very friendly and that should be no surprise given that they have known each other for years.

Related - Kudaka faces Okumoto in Japanese title defense!

(Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)

0 Comments

Kudaka out points Onaga, claims Japanese crown!

4/14/2018

0 Comments

Today fight fans at the EDION Arena Osaka had the chance to see a Japanese title double header. One of those fighters was for the vacant Japanese Super Flyweight title, and saw former 4-time world title challenger Hiroyuki Kudaka (26-17-2, 11) [久高寛之] battle against fellow veteran Go Onaga (28-4-4, 19) [翁長吾央]. Both men wre looking to record their biggest winand claim their first title, despite both having been professionals for well over 10 years.

The two men had fought last year in a Japanese title determination bout, essentially a final eliminator, and fought to a draw. Despite that draw both men were ordered to rematch for the title afater Ryuichi Funai vacated the belt and it was clear the bout meant so much to both men.

Kudaka started well, landing his straight right hand though Onaga quickly found success with his jab as the two men seemed to cancel each other othe with good boxingr.

Amazingly after 5 rounds, when the scores were announced, one judge had the bout a shut out to Onaga, though was over-ruled by the other judges who had it 48-47 and 49-47 to Kudaka. It's hard to explain how a judge had the bout a shut out after the mid way point, but the scores of all 3 judges seemed to inspire the fighters to pick up the pace, with both knowing the contest was in the balance.

With the pace picking up the two men began to trade shots more freely in round 7, with a headbutt in the second half of the fight leaving Onaga cut around the left eye. The cut could have began the downfall of Onaga but it didn't and he had a realy strong finish to the fight. It was however too little too late for the 37 year old, who would lose the decision with scores of 97-94, 97-94 and 95-95, resulting in a majority decision for Kudaka.

With the win Kudaka claims his first major title and he looked incredibly glad to have scored such a significant victory. Sadly for Onaga it's hard to see where he goes from here, and retirement might well be looming for him.

(Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)

0 Comments

Kudaka and Onaga make weight for rematch!

4/13/2018

0 Comments

Tomorrow Japanese fight fans at the EDION Arena in Osaka will get the chance to see a Japanese title double header. One of those bouts will be for the currently vacant Japanese Super Flyweight, as veterans Hiroyuki Kudaka (25-17-2, 11) [久高寛之] and Go Onaga (28-3-4, 19) [翁長吾央] face off in their second bout, following a technical draw last year.

Today the two men took part in the weight in for the bout, and both fighters made weight for what could be a bit of an over-looked war.

On the scales both men made weight with no issue.

Kudaka, a 4-time world title challenger, looked in sensational shape at the weigh in. He looked really calm and confident and was clearly happy to make weight, and get one more shot to claim a major career honour. At the age of 33 Kudaka does have a little bit of time left in his career, but with his style and the damage he's taken through his career this is probably going to be his final big bout.

As for Onaga he stated he would do his best and rely on his boxing. He was calm though with his 38th birthday just around the corner he knows this really will be his final shot at a title.

Related - Kudaka and Onaga go again, this time for Japanese title!

(Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)

0 Comments

The 2018 Champion Carnival bouts announced!

1/12/2018

0 Comments

One of the key parts of the Japanese boxing calendar is the Champion Carnival, which takes place over the first 6 months of the year and sees the national champions defending their titles against their mandatory challengers.

Today we saw the bouts being announced for the 2018 Champion Carnival at a huge press confeence, and as with every year, there were some brilliant bouts being announced.

At Minimumweight we'll see Ryoki Hirai (10-4-1, 4) [平井亮輝] and Shin Ono (21-9-3, 5) [小野心] battle for the vacant title, which was given up by Reiya Konishi (15-0, 5) [小西伶弥] a few days ago. The bout will be Hirai's first title bout, whilst the experienced Ono will be getting his 4th shot at a Japanese title, having previously won an OPBF title and having several world title bouts. This bout will take place in Kobe on April 22nd and should be a very, very good match up.

The Light Flyweight bout will see defending champion Tetsuya Hisada (30-9-2, 19) [久田哲也] make his 3rd defense of the title, as he takes on Koji Itagaki (18-11-3, 7) [板垣幸司]. This looks like a mismatch on paper, but it will be Itagaki's first, and likely last, shot at a domestic title and he sounded determined and confident at today's event. This contest has been pencilled in for April 19th and will take place in Osaka.

Although a number of bouts were announced today, some were already known about. One such bout was the Flyweight contest, which will see Masayuki Kuroda (28-7-3, 16) [黒田雅之] defending his title against the exciting Katsunori Nagamine (14-1-1, 10) [長嶺克則. This will be Kuroda's third defense of the title, whilst Nagamine will be having his first challenge, and the bout really does have the potential to be a real thriller. As mentioned this bout was already known about, and will take place on March 3rd, as previously reported.

At Super Flyweight we'll be getting a rematch between Hiroyuki Kudaka (25-17-2, 11) [久高寛之] and Go Onaga (28-3-4, 19) [翁長吾央], who face off following a technical draw in December. The two men will be fighting for the currently vacant title, which was given up by Ryuichi Funai (29-7, 20) [船井龍一] earlier this week. Sadly at the time of writing this bout has no venue, or set date, but seems likely to be fought in Tokyo on either a Dangan show or an Ohashi one, potentially in April or May.

Interestingly the first Champion Carnival bout comes in just over a week's time, as Ryo Akaho (31-2-2, 20) [赤穂亮] defends his Bantamweight title against Yusuke Suzuki (9-3, 6) [鈴木悠介] at the Korakuen Hall on January 20th, in a bout set to be televised on G+. For Akaho the bout willbe his second defense, whilst Suzuki gets his first title fight, in what looks like a really exciting way to kick off the 2018 Champion Carnival, and should be a very brutal bout.

At Super Bantamweight we'll see Ryo Kosaka (15-3-1, 7) [小坂遼] challenging champion Yusaka Kuga (15-2-1, 10) [久我勇作], with Kosaka essentially filling in for the injured Yasutaka Ishimoto (31-9, 9) [石本康隆]. The bout is a decent looking one, but it's hard to not expect a win for the champion, who has looked fantastic in a number of recent contests, and could well find himself in the world title mix later this year. This bout is scheduled for March 27th at the Korakuen Hall.

Featherweight champion Takenori Ohashi (15-4-2, 10) [大橋健典] will look to build from his dramatic 2017 win over Kosuke Saka (16-4, 13) [坂晃典] as he defends his title against fellow puncher Taiki Minamoto (14-5, 11) [源大輝]. This bout promises to be explosive, even if both are a bit crude, and Ohashi will be hoping to avoid a similar finish to his title win, where Saka turned away thinking he had heard the bell, and got iced by Ohashi in the final seconds of the round. These two will meet on April 7th at the Korakuen Hall.

In early February we'll see Ken Osato (13-1-1, 4) [大里拳] challenge Super Featherweight champion Masaru Sueyoshi (16-1, 10) [末吉大]. For Sueyoshi this will be his first defense whilst Osato looks to build on his big 2017 win over Satoru Sugita (13-5-1, 8) [杉田聖]. The talented Sueyoshi has frustrated at times, but does look class when he gets going and should be favoured here for the February 3rd bout, but Osato is in good form and could easily spring the upset, if Sueyoshi is anything less than his best.

At Lightweight we'll see the very talented Shuichiro Yoshino (6-0, 4) [吉野修一郎] defending his title, for the first time, against Masaki Saito (14-12-6, 5) [斉藤正樹]. Yoshino has really shined so far in his short career and looks to be a star of the future for Japanese boxing, though will obviously need to get his first defense under his belt before becoming a star. Saito looks like a limited challenger, though is a very experienced fighter and should be able to give Yoshino some questions. This bout will be taking place on February 8th at the Korakuen Hall.

The Light Welterweight contests looks set to be one of the most exciting, as Valentine Hosokawa (22-6-3, 9) [細川バレンタイン] makes his first defense, and takes on the heavy handed Vladimir Baez (24-3-2-22). This bout looks likely to be a war, and whilst Baez will be the favourite, despite being the challenger, we can't rule out the champion, who hs long been under-rated. Like many this contest will take place at the Korakuen Hall and is set for May 7th.

One of the most explosive bouts on paper will see Welterweight champion Toshio Arikawa (15-4, 13) [有川稔男] taking on fellow puncher Ryota Yada (14-4, 11) [矢田良太]. The contest might not have a future world champion or potential star in it, but given the power of both men this should be a shoot out, and could be something fvery, very special for the fans, who will be in the Korakuen Hall on April 16th.

At Light Middleweight we'll see triple crown winner Takeshi Inoue (12-0-1, 7) [井上岳志] take on former Welterweight champion Nobuyuki Shindo (19-4-1, 8) [新藤寛之] in what should be a really good test for Inoue, who will be lookibg at bigger and better things in 2018. Shindo's reign at Welterweight was a short one, and whilst he will be hoping to become a 2-weight champion he is really up against it here against the fantastic Inoue. This bout is set to take place on April 26th at the Korakuen Hall.

The heaviest weight being contested at this year's Champion Carnival is Middleweight, and it may well end up being the best of the bouts, as March 3rd plays host to a contest between defending champion Hikaru Nishida (17-8-1, 8) [西田光] and the heavy handed Kazuto Takesako (7-0, 7) [竹迫司登]. Nishida is a freakishly strong fighter who brings a lot of pressure, and whilst he can be out boxed he is a tough and aggressive nightmare,. Takesako on the other hand is a really brutish puncher and this will be something very special.

The winners of the bouts will of course be the defending champion, and will also be in the running for a number of prizes, including a notable award for being crowned the MVP of the Champion Carnival, or winning either the Skill or Battle awards.

(Photographs courtesy of boxmob.jp)

0 Comments

<<Previous

Okumoto upsets Kudaka to become new Japanese champion!

Kudaka and Okumoto make weight for Japanese Super Flyweight title fight!

Kudaka out points Onaga, claims Japanese crown!

Kudaka and Onaga make weight for rematch!

The 2018 Champion Carnival bouts announced!

News

Categories

Archives