Shiba claims first professional title!
Earlier today Japanese fight fans at the Korakuen Hall got a stacked card featuring some really interesting match ups.
One of those match ups pitted young and unbeaten fighters against each other with Rikito Shiba (4-0, 2) [芝力人] and Shisui Kawabata (2-1, 2) [川端嗣穂] facing off for the Japanese youth Light Flyweight title.
It wasn't a bout that was going to get a lot of international attention, but it certainly looked like an excellent match up between two brilliant young prospects, and it delivered!
Shiba got off to the perfect start, dropping Kawabata in the opening round with a counter shot. Kawabata wasn't badly hurt but the knockdown secured Shiba a 10-8 round, despite a great fight back from Kawabata.
Kawabata's fight back saw him take round 2, as he upped his work rate, but then he struggled to really build on that momentum with Shiba taking the play away in round 3 as he picked up his own pace and forced Kawabata on to the back foot. Rounds 4 and 5 were both close but Shiba's power began to shine in round 6, as he landed clean hurtful shots on Kawabata and built further on his lead in round 7. To his credit Kawabata came back hard in the 8th round, but it was too little too late to over-come Shiba and his lead, with all 3 judges scoring the bout 77-74 to Shiba.
Despite suffering a small nick over his left eye Shiba is pencilled in to return to the ring in December, in a Japanese Light Flyweight title eliminator, as he looks to move from the Youth title to the senior title. In his eliminator he will face off against Masamichi Yabuki (9-3, 9) [佐藤政道].
As for Kawabata his career is certainly not over with this loss, and the 23 year old is likely to get another shot at the belt in the near future. A loss of this kind, this early in his career, will certainly do more good than harm and Kawabata will have learned more from this loss than he would from a string of easy wins.
(Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)
One of those match ups pitted young and unbeaten fighters against each other with Rikito Shiba (4-0, 2) [芝力人] and Shisui Kawabata (2-1, 2) [川端嗣穂] facing off for the Japanese youth Light Flyweight title.
It wasn't a bout that was going to get a lot of international attention, but it certainly looked like an excellent match up between two brilliant young prospects, and it delivered!
Shiba got off to the perfect start, dropping Kawabata in the opening round with a counter shot. Kawabata wasn't badly hurt but the knockdown secured Shiba a 10-8 round, despite a great fight back from Kawabata.
Kawabata's fight back saw him take round 2, as he upped his work rate, but then he struggled to really build on that momentum with Shiba taking the play away in round 3 as he picked up his own pace and forced Kawabata on to the back foot. Rounds 4 and 5 were both close but Shiba's power began to shine in round 6, as he landed clean hurtful shots on Kawabata and built further on his lead in round 7. To his credit Kawabata came back hard in the 8th round, but it was too little too late to over-come Shiba and his lead, with all 3 judges scoring the bout 77-74 to Shiba.
Despite suffering a small nick over his left eye Shiba is pencilled in to return to the ring in December, in a Japanese Light Flyweight title eliminator, as he looks to move from the Youth title to the senior title. In his eliminator he will face off against Masamichi Yabuki (9-3, 9) [佐藤政道].
As for Kawabata his career is certainly not over with this loss, and the 23 year old is likely to get another shot at the belt in the near future. A loss of this kind, this early in his career, will certainly do more good than harm and Kawabata will have learned more from this loss than he would from a string of easy wins.
(Image courtesy of boxmob.jp)