Jerwin Ancajas on the mat as Takuma Inoue celebrates his TKO win to retain the WBA WBA bantamweight world title. –CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/WENDELL ALINEA
MANILA, Philippines—On Saturday night at Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Filipino fighters were felled by a common kryptonite: Japanese body shots.
Former world champion Jerwin Ancajas lost by a ninth-round knockout even as Takuma Inoue retained the WBA bantamweight world title before his hometown crowd.
Ancajas and Takuma mixed it up early in that round before the latter pulled away for enough space to land a right hook that sent the Filipino fighter to the canvas.
READ: Ancajas the underdog looking for convincing win over Inoue
BRUTAL BODY SHOT SEALS THE DEAL 🫢@TakumaInoue_122 x #InoueAncajas pic.twitter.com/cVcrH7pr83
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 24, 2024
The referee waved off Ancajas, who coincidentally was using body shots early in the match to contain Inoue.
In round five of the contest, both fighters figured in a back-and-forth until the final ten seconds when Inoue lured Ancajas to the ropes and unleashed a frenzy of punches that stunned the 32-year-old Filipino.
Ancajas seemingly fought to survive from thereon, but got caught with several power shots and counterpunches from the younger brother of super bantamweight sensation Naoya.
Takuma improved to a 19-1 record after the victory while also registering his fitch career knockout win. Ancajas, meanwhile, dropped to 34-4-2.
Filipino fighter Jonas Sultan after a first round KO loss to Riku Masuda in Tokyo, Japan. –CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/WENDELL ALINEA
Earlier, another Filipino boxer in Jonas Sultan also fell victim to Japanese fighter Riku Masuda.
In the 50-second mark of the opening round, Masuda saw an opening and connected with a left hook to Sultan’s abdomen, sending the Filipino to the mat.
Sultan tried to beat the count and even got up, but obvious signs of breathing difficulties urged the official to stop the match, handing Masuda the knockout victory.
AND WE'RE OFF!! WHAT A BODY SHOT 😱#InoueAncajas #SantiagoNakatani | Live on @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/SY2Wz8MR9P
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 24, 2024
HISTORY FOR TANAKA
Japan’s Kosei Tanaka celebrates his victory against Mexico’s Christian Bacasegua during their WBO Super-fly Weight championship boxing bout in Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on February 24, 2024. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
History was also made in the undercard when another Japanese, Kosei Tanaka, became a champion in four weight classes after defeating Mexican Christian Bacasegua for the vacant WBO super flyweight championship.
Tanaka won convincingly via unanimous decision, 116-111, 117-110 and 119-108.
It was an even match until the fifth round when Bacasegua was cut above his right eyebrow, which limited his vision.
Kosei Tanaka closing the show strong 🔥 pic.twitter.com/U7PD7Zhpds
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 24, 2024
In the eighth round, Tanaka asserted his dominance after catching the Mexican on the ropes and releasing a flurry of punches that knocked him down for the first time in the fight.
From that point onward, the Japanese punt on a clinic to improve to a 20-1 card while winning the vacant strap in the process.