By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Former Japanese and OPBF feather champ who dropped Guillermo Rigondeaux twice here in 2014, elongated Hisashi Amagasa (33-6-2, 21 KOs), 126, participated in a knockdown-studded contest, and finally dispatched southpaw ThailanderSithw Surasit Sithwanchai (8-3, 2 KOs), 124.75, with a vicious left hook to the belly for the count at 1:39 of the third round on Monday in Tokyo, Japan. The 5’11” lanky puncher, usually fluctuating between ups and downs, campaigned in the UK and lost a unanimous nod to unbeaten prospect Josh Warrington on his home turf Leeds in April of the previous year, and thus scored three victories since.

Amagasa was sharp this night. He sent the muscular Thailander to the deck with a well-timed right after his fast combination in the initial round. The aggressor, in round two, decked him twice more with solid combos, and people then thought it would be a matter of time.

Amagasa, however, was temporarily careless, took a southpaw left-right hook combination and surprisingly hit the deck. The crowd being on its feet, Hisashi quickly came back and floored him back with a strong right with the Thailander having a narrow escape. The fatal third round witnessed Surasit badly sink flat with a very effective left hook to the liver to be counted out by the referee. Amagasa, if in good shape, is still pugnacious and powerful, and this reporter personally expects a showdown of Amagasa and Satoshi Hosono to decide the strongest 126-pounder here in Japan—rather than his rematch with Rigondeaux.