Tsutsumi Takes Down Inoue for WBA Bantamweight Title
Seiya Tsutsumi’s non-stop pressure paid off as he secured a unanimous points decision victory over Takuma Inoue for the WBA world bantamweight title in Tokyo on Sunday. The 28-year-old Tsutsumi, now 12-0-2 with 8 KOs, outworked Inoue from Round 3 onwards, despite suffering a nasty cut above his left eye in the final two rounds.
Early Start for Inoue
Inoue, also 28, began the fight strongly, but Tsutsumi’s relentless pace soon took its toll. Inoue landed a solid right hook in the seventh round, but Tsutsumi’s volume of hooks kept him in control for most of the rounds. Tsutsumi’s pressure prevented Inoue from establishing his jab, restricting him to single-shot successes.
Turning Point
The turning point came in Round 10 when Inoue was given a count after being caught by a left that sent him stumbling into the ropes. Late in the same round, Tsutsumi suffered a cut by his left eye, but he refused to back down. Inoue sensed he needed a big finish and, in the last round, both fighters stood toe-to-toe, trading blows in a thrilling conclusion to an intense encounter.
Future Plans
Tsutsumi could next face WBC champion Junto Nakatani, also from Japan, who first defends his belt against Petch Sor Chitpattana on Monday. Meanwhile, Kenshiro Teraji stopped Cristofer Rosales in Round 11 to become a two-weight world champion, claiming the vacant WBC world flyweight title. Shokichi Iwata also won the vacant WBO world junior flyweight title, flattening Spain’s Jairo Noriega with a left hook in Round 3.
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