By Joe Koizumi

A quintuple title promotion was staged by Muto Promotions on Wednesday in Osaka, Japan. Japanese 6’3” southpaw Tyson Koki (11-2-2, 10 KOs) impressively captured the OPBF middleweight belt by upsetting Australian defending champ Dwight Richie (14-1-4NC, one KO) by a unanimous decision (116-111 twice, 115-112) over twelve heats. Koki sent the champ to the canvas with a southpaw left hand midway in round eight to confirm his victory.

Photo: Boxing Beat

Unheralded Yutaka Oishi (14-5, 7 KOs) wrested the OPBF super-welterweight belt as he was awarded a technical decision over defending champ Takayuki Hosokawa (28-11-5, 9 KOs) because of the defending champ’s bad gash midway in the eleventh round.

WBC youth bantamweight champ Hinata Maruta (4-0, 3 KOs) successfully retained his belt by finishing durable Filipino Joe Tejones at 2:25 of the seventh session. Already ranked in the top ten by the WBC, Maruta, 19, looked talented and promising.

Hiroshi Mukai (13-4-3, 3 KOs) acquired the vacant WBO Asia Pacific115-pound belt by halting Thailander Inthanon Sithchamuang at 1:27 of the second session.

Sho Kimura also acquired the vacant WBO Asia Pacific flyweight belt by a majority decision (116-112 twice, 114-114) over compatriot Masahiro Sakamoto over twelve.