Japanese 130lb champ Sueyoshi, OPBF titlist Mishiro draw in unification bout

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

The Japanese super-lightweight champ, WBO#7 Masaru Seuyoshi (18-1-1, 11 KOs), 129.75, and the OPBF titlist Hironori Mishiro (7-0-1, 2 KOs), 129.75, fought with both titles on the line, and they battled to a split draw (115-113, 113-115, 114-114) over twelve hard-fought rounds on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. It’s a very good fight that both displayed their best performance.

The stylish jabbers kept sticking each other from the start, and Seuyoshi, 27, who already retained his national belt twice, had the upper hand until after the eighth, when the open scoring system showed Seuyoshi winning by 78-74, 77-75, 76-76. Mishiro, 23 and former Chuoh university amateur boxer (41-16, 6 stoppages), turned very aggressive in the last four rounds, scoring with sharper and stronger jabs to the face of Sueyoshi, whose right optic was badly swollen. The drawn result was well-received by the audience that asked for a rematch.

Unbeaten flyweight prospect, WBC#4/IBF#9/WBO#11 Junto Nakatani (17-0, 12 KOs), 111.75, a taller southpaw, won the right to fight national flyweight champ Masayuki Kuroda, as he floored JBC#2 Shun Kosaka (15-5, 4 KOs), 111.5, in the seventh and scored a unanimous decision (80-71 twice, 79-72) in an eight-round eliminator.

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