- Japanese star defends WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles at 122lbs
- Inoue out to bolster claim as world’s top pound-for-pound boxer
- Sellout crowd of about 55,000 spectators on hand at Tokyo Dome
- Main event ringwalks expected at 7.30am EDT/12.30pm BST
- Send Bryan a tweet at @BryanAGraham or email him
A bit of early drama in the second-to-last preliminary bout ahead of tonight’s main event. The WBA bantamweight world champion Takuma Inoue (19-1, 5 KOs), younger brother of Naoya, has suffered a first-round knockdown against former world title challenger Sho Ishida (34-3, 17 KOs) in their scheduled 12-round encounter. A perfectly placed left jab by Ishida dropped Inoue to the canvas but he easily beat the count and doesn’t seem hurt.
Seigo Yuri Akui has just retained his WBA flyweight title by a unanimous decision over Taku Kuwahara. The three judges at ringside handed down scores of 117-111 (twice) and 118-110 in a rematch of their 2021 Japanese title bout, which Akui won by 10th-round TKO.