Inoue goes 12 with Tszyu, Nath loses to Ryan
Earlier today at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park we got the chance to see two Japanese fighters in action as the took on popular Australian fighters. Sadly for the Japanese fighters it wasn't top be their night, but they both put up genuine efforts against better men.
The first of two bouts saw Nath Nwachukwu (7-2-2, 3) [ワチュク・ナァツ] taking on IBO International Light Middleweight champion Ryan Wade (20-9, 7). Sadly for Nath he was second best through the bout, despite having some moment.
On paper it did look a good bout, but Wade was too good, too sharp and too experienced for Nath who really only had limited success. Sadly this wasn't a particularly fun bout to watch, as the technical limitations of both showed repeatedly, and neither man seemed capable of showing much genuine consistency. Wade did however land almost all the telling blows, in what became a messy, and scruffy bout in the second half.
The other bout saw former world title challenger Takeshi Inoue (17-2-1, 10) [井上 岳志] showcase his toughness, as he lost a wide and clear decision to unbeaten Australian hopeful Tim Tszyu (20-0, 15), in what was a really interesting contest and one that saw Tszyu answering some questions. Despite the fact the Australian dominated large swathes of the bout, to unify the WBO Global and WBO Asia Pacific Light Middleweight titles.
Through out the early rounds Tszyu hammered Inoue at will, landing huge shots to head and body and left Inoue swollen around the face. He had taken center ring and was pressuring the Japanese fighter, getting him on the retreat, punching through his guard and having a field day with Inoue. By round 5 it looked like Tszyu was on route to an inevitable stoppage, and rounds 6 and 7 saw him further pounding Inoue, who was some how remaining up right.
Amazingly Inoue started to show life in round 8, and it was from there that he managed to have some success, catching Tszyu with some solid shots of his own and leaving the Australian bloodied around the mouth. Tszyu was still getting the better of things, but he was slowing, and his shots were having less of an effect than they had earlier in the contest. Inoue was starting to work his way into the action more, but was still taking heavy punishment.
In round 12 Inoue started well, but late in the rounded he was put on the canvas, but he managed to hear out the bell, becoming the first man to take Tszyu the 12 round distance, albeit in a comprehensive loss with scores of 120-107, twice, and 119-108 to Tszyu. The performance of Inoue maybe deserved a round or two from the judges but he was clearly second best and Tszyu was very much the better man through out the bout.
With the win Tszyu is now expected to get a WBO world title fight in 2022. As for Inoue, who got plaudits from the Australian fans and media for his toughness, it's likely to be a case of returning to Japan and continuing to ply his trade against regional and domestic opponents. Hopefully a 2022 showdown with Japanese champion Hironobu Matsunaga, could be made, as that would be a really fun one to watch.
The first of two bouts saw Nath Nwachukwu (7-2-2, 3) [ワチュク・ナァツ] taking on IBO International Light Middleweight champion Ryan Wade (20-9, 7). Sadly for Nath he was second best through the bout, despite having some moment.
On paper it did look a good bout, but Wade was too good, too sharp and too experienced for Nath who really only had limited success. Sadly this wasn't a particularly fun bout to watch, as the technical limitations of both showed repeatedly, and neither man seemed capable of showing much genuine consistency. Wade did however land almost all the telling blows, in what became a messy, and scruffy bout in the second half.
The other bout saw former world title challenger Takeshi Inoue (17-2-1, 10) [井上 岳志] showcase his toughness, as he lost a wide and clear decision to unbeaten Australian hopeful Tim Tszyu (20-0, 15), in what was a really interesting contest and one that saw Tszyu answering some questions. Despite the fact the Australian dominated large swathes of the bout, to unify the WBO Global and WBO Asia Pacific Light Middleweight titles.
Through out the early rounds Tszyu hammered Inoue at will, landing huge shots to head and body and left Inoue swollen around the face. He had taken center ring and was pressuring the Japanese fighter, getting him on the retreat, punching through his guard and having a field day with Inoue. By round 5 it looked like Tszyu was on route to an inevitable stoppage, and rounds 6 and 7 saw him further pounding Inoue, who was some how remaining up right.
Amazingly Inoue started to show life in round 8, and it was from there that he managed to have some success, catching Tszyu with some solid shots of his own and leaving the Australian bloodied around the mouth. Tszyu was still getting the better of things, but he was slowing, and his shots were having less of an effect than they had earlier in the contest. Inoue was starting to work his way into the action more, but was still taking heavy punishment.
In round 12 Inoue started well, but late in the rounded he was put on the canvas, but he managed to hear out the bell, becoming the first man to take Tszyu the 12 round distance, albeit in a comprehensive loss with scores of 120-107, twice, and 119-108 to Tszyu. The performance of Inoue maybe deserved a round or two from the judges but he was clearly second best and Tszyu was very much the better man through out the bout.
With the win Tszyu is now expected to get a WBO world title fight in 2022. As for Inoue, who got plaudits from the Australian fans and media for his toughness, it's likely to be a case of returning to Japan and continuing to ply his trade against regional and domestic opponents. Hopefully a 2022 showdown with Japanese champion Hironobu Matsunaga, could be made, as that would be a really fun one to watch.