Today, in the final instalment in the trio of world title fights taking place in Tokyo, Japan, Takuma Inoue scored a surprise KO win over Jerwin Ancajas of the Philippines to retain his WBA bantamweight title. Inoue, brother of course of “Monster” Naoya Inoue, dropped and stopped Ancajas with a combination to the body in the ninth round. Ancajas, who has never previously been stopped, was unable to get to his feet and referee Mark Nelson reached the count of ten at the 0:44 mark of the round.
Inoue is now 19-1(5), while former IBF junior bantamweight champ Ancajas falls to 34-4-2(23).
The lesser-known Inoue is also not known as a big puncher, with just 4 KO’s or stoppages to his credit prior to today’s fight. But Inoue showed great accuracy in what was his first title defence. Ancajas had some success in the earlier rounds, with the two engaging in a thrilling fourth round, with Ancajas getting the better of things in what briefly looked like shaping up as a war.
Inoue, a superb boxer, got back to sticking and moving in the fifth round, and Ancajas was showing signs of tiredness by the seventh. Inoue again went toe-to-toe with his challenger, but this time Ancajas was unable to get home with anything of real note. Both men attacked the body in the eighth, first Ancajas and then, in fight-ending fashion, Inoue.
It was arguably Inoue’s best career performance today, and the win sets him up for some big fights down the road. Ancajas faces a tough road back if he’s to become a champion again.
All in all, it was indeed a great card today at the Kokugikan in Tokyo. Three world title fights, each one well worth tuning in for. It was, though, the flawless winning display Junto Nakatini put on in taking (see ripping) the WBC bantamweight title from Alexandro Santiago that stands out as the best overall performance from today’s bill. Nakatini, now a three-weight world ruler, really is one special fighter.
