Masayuki Ito successfully defended his world title with a stoppage win.
WBO junior lightweight titleholder Masayuki Ito (25-1-1, 13 KOs) has a successful defense in the books against Russian challenger Evgeny Chuprakov (20-1, 10 KOs) by way of a second round stoppage yesterday at home in Japan. Not only did Ito put on an impressive performance, but he did it on a major stage too in the main event of his home country’s traditional annual big year end show.
The fight was pretty much a mismatch from the opening minute. While Chuprakov brought a deep amateur background that Ito is entirely without, you wouldn’t have known it at any point in the fight. The Russian was at both a talent and skill disadvantage. Not only was he the smaller, more physically limited fighter, but Ito also clearly had the better technique in the ring. All the Russian challenger could do was rush forward and hope to get in. When he did get in, it was just sort of a grappling match. Masayuki Ito never let his challenger get anything going.
The defending titleholder landed whenever had had the range to do so. By the end of the fourth round, Chuprakov seemed entirely defeated. Both men were bleeding from the head clashes resulting from Evgeny’s bull rushes, but only he seemed bothered. Masayuki never seemed to pay the blood much mind on the way to the stoppage.
The finish came in round seven after a sustained assault. Evgeny was no longer rushing in and instead was staying outside at the range Ito wanted. The rising Japanese star responded by lighting him up for over a minute. Eventually the Russian corner stepped to the apron to stop the assault on their increasingly hopeless man.
In the co-main event, 23 year old Takuma Inoue (13-0, 3 KOs) picked up a secondary bantamweight title with a wide win over Thailand’s Petch CP Freshmart (48-1, 33 KOs), given name Tasana Salapat, and his entirely empty record. Takuma is the brother of pound for pound sensation Naoya “Monster” Inoue. He is a talented fighter in his own right, but he isn’t that sort of generational talent that Naoya is. Very few are. Here the younger Inoue earned his wide decision, but that doesn’t mean it was easy all the way through. Freshmart put on a lot of pressure and had his successes, just not enough of them. Inoue’s fast hands and countering carried most of the rounds, though they were often competitive.
With the win Takuma picked up an “interim” version of the WBC belt that should put him first in line to meet the winner of the showdown between multiple time Olympians Nordine Oubaali and Rau’shee Warren for the vacant full title on January 19th.
WBC light flyweight titleholder Ken Shiro (15-0, 8 KOs) also got in a successful defense of his title on the show. It didn’t make the ESPN+ American broadcast, but there was really no reason for it to. Mexican challenger Saul Juarez (24-9-2, 13 KOs) was nothing more than a tune up for the 26 year old having won only one of his previous six fights. Shiro won on predictable near shut out cards.
