Japanese Scene Weekend Recap: Ota Decisions Yuba, Arakawa Stops Omura

Sidney Boquiren of RingwalkNippon has the ringside report from this past weekend's Japanese boxing action.  For more updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Ota earns tough decision over Yuba

While it was not a barnburner for all twelve rounds, the junior middleweight clash between heavy hitters Charlie Ota and Tadashi Yuba featured good two-way action and was a hard fought battle with the former US Navy serviceman coming out victorious. Making the second defense of his OPBF title (and first of his national crown), Ota used a sharp jab and lead right hand to take control in the final four frames, edging the 33-year old challenger by scores of 115-114 and 116-113 (twice).

Anticipation was high for this classic crossroads bout between a budding prospect and rugged veteran, more so as Yuba was attempting to become the first ever four-division national champion (with previous reigns at 135, 140, and 147). Though the lefty never made it past the national level, Yuba may be one of the more popular power punchers in Japan in recent years. His counterpart’s career may pale in comparison at this time, but Ota has progressed remarkably in the past 16 months, adding technique to his athletic ability and natural strength. Beating the former titleholder would bring him steps closer to further legitimizing his status as a contender among the next tier of fighters.

Before a packed Korakuen Hall, Ota and his opponent started out surprisingly slowly. Neither man seemed to want to test the other’s power in the opening inning though the champion was more active and had a clear advantage in hand speed. As would be a pattern throughout the fight, Yuba seemed hesitant to let his hands go, and though he would land some heavy punches throughout the course of the twelve rounds, the lack of action may very well have hurt him on the cards. The pace started to pick up in the second, with Ota coming forward aggressively while the challenger looked to use his left to counter. The champ landed a hard right around the halfway mark, but Yuba may have stolen the round by digging his power punches to the body in the final half of the frame.

Quickly becoming an emotional and competitive bout, Ota started to find his groove in the third, dropping several lead rights on the southpaw. On the other hand, the challenger’s building frustration was evident as his retaliation came in the form of wild, looping punches that missed their mark. His problems were exasperated when the champion landed an overhand right that would have Yuba pawing at his right eye for the remainder of the fight. While he bounced back in the fourth, open scoring revealed that two of the judges found the fight for Ota (39-37 twice) while one had him ahead 39-38.

Moving into the middle stanzas, the defending titleholder seemed to have analyzed that the veteran was not as susceptible to his chin as had been suspected and switched to a measured pace. Working his jab and looking for openings to throw lefts to the body and rights upstairs, Ota appeared to be the more effective of the two in frames five and six. However, the crowd was very pro-Yuba, roaring with every punch he threw, regardless of whether or not they scored cleanly. The seventh was a good round for the southpaw as he may have hurt Ota along the ropes, but the champ easily took the eighth almost exclusively using his jab and lead right.

According to the official judges, the challenger owned those middle rounds as the second set of tallies announced were 77-76 Yuba, 77-76 Ota, and 76-76 even.

Capitalizing on Yuba’s bothersome eye and inability to defend against his stiff jab and well-timed lead right, Ota made it clear to the ringside scorers in the closing rounds that he would protect his crown. The ninth and tenth were very much like the eighth frame as the challenger had no answer for the champ’s ranged attack, and Ota repeatedly knocked Yuba’s head back with his lead blows. The veteran staged his last stand in the eleventh frame as he stood and traded with the younger champion. It was an all-out brawl at that point, with both men landing heavy blows.

While the challenger seemed to be the fresher of the two at the beginning of round twelve, Ota again would score at will with his jab and lead right. The final minute was excellent as the champ dug deep to try and close the show. Finding the mark with multiple right hands, Ota nearly had Yuba out on his feet, but the former titleholder managed to last until the final bell.

Ranked #13 by the WBA, the prospect’s record improved to 15-1-1, 10KO. Yuba, who told reporters that he would like a rematch, fell to 37-6-2, 28KO.

Arakawa sharp in first defense

Ota’s gymmate, Nihito Arakawa, looked very slick and poised in making the first defense of his national 135-pound title, completely outclassing heavy-handed Mitsuya Omura. A top 10 lightweight in the WBA ratings, the 28-year old used refined footwork and showed precise timing in landing a diverse arsenal of punches. The win advanced Arakawa’s record to 18-1-1, 12KO.

Perhaps thinking he could catch the southpaw cold in the opening frame, Omura (13-5, 9KO) charged Arakawa immediately after the opening gong, missing with a series of wild punches. Though the challenger scored with a few body blows, the champ remained composed, finding his distance and countering with accuracy. Arakawa punished Omura with uppercuts when he closed in and a deceptively strong right hook from mid-range.

Working from the outside at the start of the second, the titleholder looked like a surgeon - scoring with precision with lead lefts, jabs and right hooks. Arakawa then came to the correct conclusion that his opponent was looking to counter his left hand. Feinting a lead left, the champ side-stepped Omura’s counter left and dropped him with a perfectly timed right hook. While the challenger was not badly hurt, he was disoriented just enough that Arakawa would have no trouble adding to the damage with uppercuts and more power punches.

Rounds three and four were simply showtime for the six-year pro. Easily reading Omura’s wild offense, Arakawa used compact uppercuts and hooks as well as his left cross to build his lead. While the titleholder may still be a work-in-progress, he showed hints of becoming a crafty young vet, as he punched with good tempo and always positioned himself to an advantage with small, deliberate steps. Setting the stage for what would be the final round, Arakawa battered Omura with lefts and rights before the close of the fourth.

The challenger was befuddled by the champ’s offensive and defensive prowess as Arakawa was landing at will. A right hook to the body followed by another up top set up a solid left hand that had Omura clearly in trouble. Before Arakawa could move in to finish off his opponent, the referee stepped in to protect the vulnerable 29-year old, stopping the bout at the 0:54 mark.

Though one would not label the titleholder as a knockout artist in spite of a decent 12 stoppages in 18 victories, Arakawa lived up to his ringname, "The Baby Faced Sniper," by proving to be deadly accurate with his punches. He will face the winner of Sunday’s Korakuen Tournament finals in early 2011.

Rocky Fuentes TKO’s Aritomi to defend regional flyweight crown

In action in Nagoya on Sunday, Filipino 112-pounder Rocky Fuentes (27-6-2, 17KO) stopped Yasuto Aritomi (17-2-2, 8KO) in eight to make the second defense of his OPBF strap. The dynamic Cebu native overwhelmed his Japanese challenger, scoring a knockdown in the fifth with a right hook. According to Jiji.com, Aritomi was unable to mount any significant retaliation and wilted under the Filipino’s combinations. The referee stopped the bout at the 2:13 mark.

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