## OBARA KEEPS OPBF 140LB BELT; OMORI DETHRONES JAPANESE 118LB CHAMP MASUDA

April 8

TOKYO, JAPAN

WBC#12/IBF#13 OPBF super-lightweight champ Keita Obara (14-1, 13 KOs), 140, successfully kept his belt as he registered his twelfth consecutive stoppage by halting southpaw compatriot Yuya Okazaki (11-8-1, 4 KOs), 139, at 1:51 of the sixth session on Monday in Tokyo, Japan. For the champ, it wasnft an easy defense at all, as Obara occasionally absorbed Okazakifs sharp southpaw lefts to the face even though he responded to the challengerfs fast combinations with solid combos. Okazaki, who was much better than his credentials indicated, turned loose in round six, but the champ displayed a furious retaliation by continually battering him so lopsidedly that the referee Fukuchi finally called a halt to help the game challenger from further punishment. Obara wasnft so good at coping with the southpaw opponent, but overwhelmed the taller foe with his superior power.

The first title go witnessed a new champion born with our great surprise, when WBC#13/WBO#12 unbeaten Shohei Omori (14-0, 9 KOs), 117.5, impressively captured the Japanese bantam belt by stopping WBC#14/IBF#11 defending titlist Kentaro Masuda (21-7, 11 KOs), 118, at 1:35 of the third stanza in a scheduled ten. Omori, a 22-year-old fast-rising southpaw, had entered the WBCfs top fifteen by finishing world-rated Mexican Christian Esquivel in four quick rounds in May of the previously. Omori exploded a vicious left to the face of the champ, dropping him in the initial session. As the fight resumed, Omori sent him to the deck again with a beautiful southpaw right hook to the button. The ref almost halted the affair, but the champ was literally saved by the bell. Omori took the initiative in round two, and pressed the action in the next session, when the third man saw Masuda unfit to go on to declare a halt. The hard-punching lefty Omori looked promising, and we may watch his future.

Promoter: Reason Promotions.

(4-13-2015)

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