Kenichi Ogawa Drops, Bloodies, Decisions Azinga Fuzile To Win IBF Title

Hulu Theater, Madison Square Back garden, New York Metropolis – Japan’s Kenichi Ogawa parlayed 3 knockdowns to a world championship, as he won the vacant IBF junior lightweight title with a 12-spherical unanimous choice around South Africa’s Azinga Fuzile.

Scores were being 115-110, 115-110 and 114-111 for Ogawa, now 26-1-1 with 18 KOs. Fuzile falls to 15-2 with 9 KOs.

The initial spherical was mostly tactical, Ogawa pursuing while Fuzile appeared to counter. The pattern continued in spherical two, but this time, Ogawa obtained in some stiff jabs while Fuzile’s counters started hitting their mark with additional regularity.

In the third, Ogawa ongoing seeking to make it a actual physical battle, but Fuzile was winning that battle by training the sweet science from long assortment, even jarring his opponent with a straight remaining before Ogawa surged and tried using to steal the round. A fourth round clash of heads opened a minimize below Ogawa’s eye, but the round was shut, with Ogawa’s group-pleasing flurries hitting air and shoulders for the most component.

A correct hand by Ogawa surprised Fuzile in the fifth, and as the Japan indigenous rushed in, Fuzile properly took a knee. The moment upright, the South African went on the defensive, content material to recuperate and allow his foe have that spherical rather of hoping to get a firefight.

Ogawa was affected person in his assault as the bout arrived at the halfway mark, but he was clearly in management. Fuzile had a pleasant bounce-again spherical in the seventh, and that momentum carried into the eighth stanza as Ogawa’s function amount slowed.

The Tokyo product or service got busy once more in round nine, nailing Fuzile with right hands and opening a reduce below his appropriate eye. The slice was bothering Fuzile, and Ogawa made absolutely sure to focus on it with his jab right before firing a lot more rights.

Spherical 10 saw Fuzile acquire the position of aggressor as he tried out to flip things close to, and he had a good frame to direct into the championship rounds.

The 11th was shut, with Fuzile refusing to give in while Ogawa’s spurts of inactivity allowed the ‘Golden Boy” to hold hope alive. But in the 12th round, a appropriate hand by Ogawa yet again shocked Fuzile and prompted him to choose a knee, with the South African hitting the deck once a lot more prior to the ultimate bell tolled.