Mishiro stops Maruta to retain Japanese title
Earlier today Korakuen Hall played host to the latest show under the "WHO'S NEXT DYNAMIC GLOVE on U-NEXT" banner, and it was an interesting card on paper, with two very notable prospects on the show, along with a mouth watering Japanese title fight as the headline bout.
That Japanese title bout saw Japanese Lightweight champion Hironori Mishiro (17-1-1, 6) [三代大訓] successfully retain his title as he scored a TKO over former Japanese Featherweight champion Hinata Maruta (14-3-1, 10) [丸田陽七太], in a very tactical bout. From the off it was clear these were two very smart fighters, and the recent OPBF/WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight title unification bout, a thriller between Shu Utsuki (15-1, 13) [宇津木秀] and Katsuya Yasuda (14-2, 9) [保田克也], wasn’t going to be recreated here.
Instead of being a war this was pure tension, with both having success at mid-range. They were almost mirrors of each others at times, however Mishiro would begin to score consistently with his jab, leading Maruta with a badly swollen right eye after 3 rounds. Sadly in the same round it turned out Maruta damaged his right hand, something that was revealed after the bout. Despite the damage to his hand, and his face, Maruta had success, landing a really good left uppercut in round 4, but it wasn't enough to really make a dent in Mishiro, who was up 49-46 after 5 rounds. Maruta got 1 more round, but his right eye was essentially shut by the end of it, and his team wisely pulled him from the contest. The decision was, according to Mishiro, a surprise, though it’s perhaps worth noting that he wasn;t aware of the hand injury, and only the eye injury, at the time.
Following the bout Mishiro revealed that he was wanting to face Utsuki next year, though if he wants to keep the Japanese title he does have a Champion Carnival bout against Yudai Murakami (6-2) [村上雄大]. He did however admit that he would vacate the Japanese title if a shot for the IBF world title was possible for him. As for Maruta, the injuries will take some healing up, and it seems likely that he will look to pick up the pieces in the division when Mishiro ultimately moves beyond domestic level, though did seem to admit he was the second best here.
On the under-card Reito Takahashi (3-0, 3) [髙橋麗斗] continued his rapid rise through the ranks with an opening round TKO win against Chinese visitor Gouqi Chu (8,-5, 4), who had won his previous 3. Takahashi dropped his man very early, though remained composed when Chu got to his feet and scored a second knockdown soon afterwards, forcing the referee’s hand, after just 83 seconds. It goes without saying that Takahashi is going to be a force on the Japanese scene in the coming years, he only debuted in April, but has raced to 3-0 and he was already JBC ranked prior to this bout.
Another notable prospect on this show was Hiroki Horiike (4-0, 3) [堀池空希], as he stopped Qi Yin Gao (7-5, 5) [高启银] in 3 rounds. Horiike, who has looked like a star since his debut. Worked the body through the opening round with some vicious left hands. Gao tried to fight back but was completely out of his depth, being rocked hard at the end of the opening round. Gao was staggered again in round 2, with a counter left hook, and continually tagged by solid shots as he was broken down. In round 3 the resolve of Gao broke down, as he was dropped from a right hook, and then stopped on the ropes. Horiike, who fights at 140lbs, might have to wait for a title fight, but there is no doubting his potential, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him facing top domestic fighters next year with the plan to fight for titles in his first 10 bouts.
That Japanese title bout saw Japanese Lightweight champion Hironori Mishiro (17-1-1, 6) [三代大訓] successfully retain his title as he scored a TKO over former Japanese Featherweight champion Hinata Maruta (14-3-1, 10) [丸田陽七太], in a very tactical bout. From the off it was clear these were two very smart fighters, and the recent OPBF/WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight title unification bout, a thriller between Shu Utsuki (15-1, 13) [宇津木秀] and Katsuya Yasuda (14-2, 9) [保田克也], wasn’t going to be recreated here.
Instead of being a war this was pure tension, with both having success at mid-range. They were almost mirrors of each others at times, however Mishiro would begin to score consistently with his jab, leading Maruta with a badly swollen right eye after 3 rounds. Sadly in the same round it turned out Maruta damaged his right hand, something that was revealed after the bout. Despite the damage to his hand, and his face, Maruta had success, landing a really good left uppercut in round 4, but it wasn't enough to really make a dent in Mishiro, who was up 49-46 after 5 rounds. Maruta got 1 more round, but his right eye was essentially shut by the end of it, and his team wisely pulled him from the contest. The decision was, according to Mishiro, a surprise, though it’s perhaps worth noting that he wasn;t aware of the hand injury, and only the eye injury, at the time.
Following the bout Mishiro revealed that he was wanting to face Utsuki next year, though if he wants to keep the Japanese title he does have a Champion Carnival bout against Yudai Murakami (6-2) [村上雄大]. He did however admit that he would vacate the Japanese title if a shot for the IBF world title was possible for him. As for Maruta, the injuries will take some healing up, and it seems likely that he will look to pick up the pieces in the division when Mishiro ultimately moves beyond domestic level, though did seem to admit he was the second best here.
On the under-card Reito Takahashi (3-0, 3) [髙橋麗斗] continued his rapid rise through the ranks with an opening round TKO win against Chinese visitor Gouqi Chu (8,-5, 4), who had won his previous 3. Takahashi dropped his man very early, though remained composed when Chu got to his feet and scored a second knockdown soon afterwards, forcing the referee’s hand, after just 83 seconds. It goes without saying that Takahashi is going to be a force on the Japanese scene in the coming years, he only debuted in April, but has raced to 3-0 and he was already JBC ranked prior to this bout.
Another notable prospect on this show was Hiroki Horiike (4-0, 3) [堀池空希], as he stopped Qi Yin Gao (7-5, 5) [高启银] in 3 rounds. Horiike, who has looked like a star since his debut. Worked the body through the opening round with some vicious left hands. Gao tried to fight back but was completely out of his depth, being rocked hard at the end of the opening round. Gao was staggered again in round 2, with a counter left hook, and continually tagged by solid shots as he was broken down. In round 3 the resolve of Gao broke down, as he was dropped from a right hook, and then stopped on the ropes. Horiike, who fights at 140lbs, might have to wait for a title fight, but there is no doubting his potential, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him facing top domestic fighters next year with the plan to fight for titles in his first 10 bouts.