Fujita retains, despite injury, Hata dethrones Saka
Earlier today fight fans at Korakuen Hall and those watching on Unext had the chance to enjoy the latest Dynamic Glove show, and it was an interesting one with two notable regional title bouts.
The first of the two saw WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight champion Kenji Fujita (7-0, 3) [藤田 健児] retain his title against Filipino fighter Rodex Piala (10-1, 1), though certainly not show that he had the tools needed to break Japan’s lengthy run without a world champion at Featherweight. For much of the bout the talented Fujita did as many expected, using his speed and very accomplished technical skills to out box, out speed and out skill the game Piala. The ability of Fujita, who has been a stand out amateur before turning professional, saw him take a wide lead after 7 rounds, including a knockdown in round 2, and although he had been caught a few times there was no denying him a very comfortable lead. That was despite Fujita being cut from a clash of heads and really looking like a very promising fighter, albeit one without real power.
In round 8 however Fujita had the most serious moment of his professional career, as he damaged his left hand, suffering what was a suspected fractured wrist. From there on Fujita went to the defensive, and did less to win the rounds, instead trying to avoid the power shots of an increasingly aggressive and desperate Piala. During the final 4 rounds it was hard to give Fujita anything, as Piala closed the gap on the score cards, making it look really competitive. After 12 rounds we went to the cards, with Fujita taking the wins with scores of 116-111, 115-112 and 114-113. The damage to Fujita’s wrist really did change the tone of the bout, and made it close, though Fujita seemed to feel glad to get the experience, and realise there was still a lot of work to do, before he steps up another level.
The other title fight saw a new OPBF Super Featherweight champion being crowned, as Kosuke Saka (23-8, 20) [坂 晃典] was dethroned by Yamato Hata (15-2, 14) [波田 大和], who scored a 3rd round TKO to notch his most notable win. The bout, which was expected to be a shoot out from the off, saw some tactics used early with Saka pressuring and Hata countering and looking for openings. It was exciting and it seemed that whilst Hata was getting the better of it, he wasn’t getting away without taking some punishment himself. In round 3 we saw some great exchanges, as Saka’s pressure forced Hata to stand his ground more, though that resulted in Hata landing a number of great shots up top and forcing Saka to take some heavy leather. A right hook from Hata staggered Saka, who was ruled down as Hata continued to land hard shots that sent his man into the ropes. On resumption Hata jumped on his man, landing repeatedly with clean head shots that left the referee with little choice other than to jump in and save Saka.
The first of the two saw WBO Asia Pacific Featherweight champion Kenji Fujita (7-0, 3) [藤田 健児] retain his title against Filipino fighter Rodex Piala (10-1, 1), though certainly not show that he had the tools needed to break Japan’s lengthy run without a world champion at Featherweight. For much of the bout the talented Fujita did as many expected, using his speed and very accomplished technical skills to out box, out speed and out skill the game Piala. The ability of Fujita, who has been a stand out amateur before turning professional, saw him take a wide lead after 7 rounds, including a knockdown in round 2, and although he had been caught a few times there was no denying him a very comfortable lead. That was despite Fujita being cut from a clash of heads and really looking like a very promising fighter, albeit one without real power.
In round 8 however Fujita had the most serious moment of his professional career, as he damaged his left hand, suffering what was a suspected fractured wrist. From there on Fujita went to the defensive, and did less to win the rounds, instead trying to avoid the power shots of an increasingly aggressive and desperate Piala. During the final 4 rounds it was hard to give Fujita anything, as Piala closed the gap on the score cards, making it look really competitive. After 12 rounds we went to the cards, with Fujita taking the wins with scores of 116-111, 115-112 and 114-113. The damage to Fujita’s wrist really did change the tone of the bout, and made it close, though Fujita seemed to feel glad to get the experience, and realise there was still a lot of work to do, before he steps up another level.
The other title fight saw a new OPBF Super Featherweight champion being crowned, as Kosuke Saka (23-8, 20) [坂 晃典] was dethroned by Yamato Hata (15-2, 14) [波田 大和], who scored a 3rd round TKO to notch his most notable win. The bout, which was expected to be a shoot out from the off, saw some tactics used early with Saka pressuring and Hata countering and looking for openings. It was exciting and it seemed that whilst Hata was getting the better of it, he wasn’t getting away without taking some punishment himself. In round 3 we saw some great exchanges, as Saka’s pressure forced Hata to stand his ground more, though that resulted in Hata landing a number of great shots up top and forcing Saka to take some heavy leather. A right hook from Hata staggered Saka, who was ruled down as Hata continued to land hard shots that sent his man into the ropes. On resumption Hata jumped on his man, landing repeatedly with clean head shots that left the referee with little choice other than to jump in and save Saka.