Fighters make weight for OPBF title fights at Korakuen Hall
Tomorrow at Korakuen Hall we'll get an OPBF title double header, with a new champion being crowned at 130lbs, and the 140lb champion looking to continue his reign that dated back to 2018.
Before tomorrow's show however the 4 men involved in those title bouts took part in their weigh in.
One of those title bouts will see OPBF Light Welterweight champion Rikki Naito (25-2, 8) [内藤 律樹] look to make his 5th defense of the title as he takes on Japanese veteran Koichi Aso (24-9-1, 15) [麻生 興一] in an interesting looking match up. At his best Aso was a handful at domestic level, though he is, clearly, the under-dog here again against a talented, young, hungry and fast champion.
At the weigh in Naito, who looked in the best shape of his career, was bang on the 140lb weight limit. He seemed confident, and really self assured, and it seems clear that he is looking to extend his reign and move towards bigger and better fights next year. He also explained that he wanted to replicate some of the things Vasyl Lomachneko did against Richard Commey.
Aso on the other hand was 139.5lbs for the bout. He also seemed confident, and seemed to feel he could fight his fight, pressing, pushing the action and making it an inside battle. If he can do that he has a genuine chance, though at 35, and with this being his first title bout in 4 years, we do wonder just how much energy he has in his legs, and whether he has the gas in the tank to be the intense fighter he was back in his prime.
The other title fight on this show will see Kosuke Saka (21-5, 18) [坂晃典] battle against Yoshimitsu Kimura (12-2-1, 7) [木村吉光] for the vacant OPBF Super Featherweight title.
On the scales Saka came in bang on the limit, and looked incredible. For him this is a chance to unify the Japanese and OPBF titles, and he seemed to be fully aware that this was a massive opportunity for his career. Interestingly, given he's from Osaka, this will be his third straight bout at Korakuen Hall, in his opponents backyard.
Kimura on the other hand hit the scales well under the limit, coming in at 129.5lbs, like Saka he looked in amazing shape and and he explained that he would be looking to straight hard from the off, whilst seeming confident in his stamina. The winner of this will enter 2022 with a lot of momentum, and would likely move towards some major bouts in the new year.
Related - OPBF champion Naito takes on Aso at Korakuen Hall
Saka and Kimura battle for OPBF Super Featherweight title!
Before tomorrow's show however the 4 men involved in those title bouts took part in their weigh in.
One of those title bouts will see OPBF Light Welterweight champion Rikki Naito (25-2, 8) [内藤 律樹] look to make his 5th defense of the title as he takes on Japanese veteran Koichi Aso (24-9-1, 15) [麻生 興一] in an interesting looking match up. At his best Aso was a handful at domestic level, though he is, clearly, the under-dog here again against a talented, young, hungry and fast champion.
At the weigh in Naito, who looked in the best shape of his career, was bang on the 140lb weight limit. He seemed confident, and really self assured, and it seems clear that he is looking to extend his reign and move towards bigger and better fights next year. He also explained that he wanted to replicate some of the things Vasyl Lomachneko did against Richard Commey.
Aso on the other hand was 139.5lbs for the bout. He also seemed confident, and seemed to feel he could fight his fight, pressing, pushing the action and making it an inside battle. If he can do that he has a genuine chance, though at 35, and with this being his first title bout in 4 years, we do wonder just how much energy he has in his legs, and whether he has the gas in the tank to be the intense fighter he was back in his prime.
The other title fight on this show will see Kosuke Saka (21-5, 18) [坂晃典] battle against Yoshimitsu Kimura (12-2-1, 7) [木村吉光] for the vacant OPBF Super Featherweight title.
On the scales Saka came in bang on the limit, and looked incredible. For him this is a chance to unify the Japanese and OPBF titles, and he seemed to be fully aware that this was a massive opportunity for his career. Interestingly, given he's from Osaka, this will be his third straight bout at Korakuen Hall, in his opponents backyard.
Kimura on the other hand hit the scales well under the limit, coming in at 129.5lbs, like Saka he looked in amazing shape and and he explained that he would be looking to straight hard from the off, whilst seeming confident in his stamina. The winner of this will enter 2022 with a lot of momentum, and would likely move towards some major bouts in the new year.
Related - OPBF champion Naito takes on Aso at Korakuen Hall
Saka and Kimura battle for OPBF Super Featherweight title!