Takuma Inoue’s right uppercut in the ninth round that knocked out Jerwin Ancajas. | Screen grab from the livestream
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Takuma Inoue successfully defended his World Boxing Association (WBA) world bantamweight title after knocking out Jerwin “Pretty Boy” Ancajas in the ninth round of their match on Saturday, February 24, at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Inoue landed a powerful right uppercut to Ancajas’ abdomen that knocked the latter out with 44 seconds remaining in the ninth round.
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The victory improved the 28-year-old Inoue’s record to 19 wins with five knockouts and one defeat.
Meanwhile, Ancajas, 32, dropped to a 34-4-2 (win-loss-draw) record with 23 knockouts.
Takuma Inoue poses with his promoter and manager Hideyuki Ohashi after his knockout victory against Jerwin Ancajas. | Photo from Hideyuki Ohashi
It was a masterful performance for the younger brother of Japanese boxing superstar Naoya “Monster” Inoue.
Takuma used his speed and power against the more experienced Ancajas, who is a former world champion.
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In the first two rounds, Ancajas comfortably landed his one-two combos, but Inoue slowly turned the table in the middle rounds.
Inoue landed the more significant punches using his speed and power, while Ancajas forced him numerous times into a toe-to-toe battle.
Ancajas had several occasions to land significant shots when engaging Inoue in a toe-to-toe battle. He managed to land body shots, but these didn’t greatly impact Inoue’s performance.
In fact, Inoue landed the more telling blows in their close-quarter engagement. He exploited every opportunity when he saw an opening on Ancajas’s defense to land telling blows.
In the ninth round, while engaging in a fierce exchange, Inoue found the perfect opportunity to land a right uppercut that downed Ancajas, resulting in the knockout win.
Ancajas, one of MP Promotions’ top boxers, wasn’t able to get back on his feet from the knockdown, prompting referee Mark Nelson to stop the bout.
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