The final bout in the inaugural Jewels Under-15 Kickboxing Tournament has now been made official for Jewels: “17th Ring” on December 17th in Tokyo, Japan. Twelve-year-old “Muay Thai Genius” Saya Ito takes on 14-year-old Chihiro Imoto. The promotion confirmed the matchup earlier today.

Both Ito and Imoto advanced to the final round of the tournament with wins at “16th Ring” in September. Ito took a dominant Unanimous Decision over Ryoka Yasuoka in one semi-final. Imoto edged out Miiri Sasaki in the other. The two face off to crown the first Jewels kickboxing tournament winner.

Ito (61-8-3; 19 KOs) is no stranger to tournament competitions. The talented youngster recently won a one-night kickboxing tournament in Osaka, Japan by defeating two opponents. Many of Ito’s victories have come against elder opposition, including male opponents, and she is regarded as one of the top female strikers under the age of 15 in Japan. Ito will enter as a significant favourite in the tournament final with Imoto, but Imoto was able to defeat Ito’s teammate, Sasaki, and will look to make it two in a row against team Shobukai.

A second kickboxing bout was also added to the “17th Ring” card today. Miku Hayashi, victorious in both of her appearances for Jewels thus far, takes on the debuting Kanomu Shisso in a 52kg matchup.

Jewels: “17th Ring” takes place on December 17th at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan. The event will crown the first Jewels Featherweight Queen Champion. Unbeaten prospect Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama faces Kikuyo Ishikawa in one semi-final bout. Misaki Takimoto takes on Yukiko Seki in the other. The winners of the semi-finals will then face off in the tournament final to crown the first champion.

The card also features a rematch for the Jewels Lightweight Queen Championship. Current titleholder Ayaka Hamasaki defends against rival Seo Hee Ham. For the first time in Jewels history, the title bout will be contested over three, five-minute rounds, rather than two. Special Rules will apply to the title fight, allowing strikes to the face on the ground.

Jewels: “17th Ring” Fight Card (to date; subject to change):

– Ayaka Hamasaki vs Seo Hee Ham [Jewels Lightweight Queen Championship – 3×5 Special Rules]

– Sugiyama/Ishikawa winner vs Takimoto/Seki winner [Jewels Featherweight Queen GP Final – 2×5]
– Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama vs Kikuyo Ishikawa [Featherweight Queen GP Semi-Final – 2×5]
– Misaki Takimoto vs Yukiko Seki [Featherweight Queen GP Semi-Final – 2×5]
– Yasuko “Ikuko” Tamada vs Sachiko “Sachi” Yamamoto [Featherweight Queen GP Reserve Bout – 2×5]

– “V.V” Mei Yamaguchi vs Mika “Future Princess” Nagano [Jewels 52kg Official Rules – 2×5]
– Emi “Kamikaze Angel” Fujino vs Celine Haga [Jewels 52kg Official Rules – 2×5]
– Emi Tomimatsu vs Rina Tomita [Jewels 52kg Official Rules – 2×5]
– “Muay Thai Genius” Saya Ito vs Chihiro Imoto [Jewels 46kg Under-15 Kickboxing Final – 2×2]
– Miku Hayashi vs Kanomu Shisso [Jewels 52kg Kickboxing Rules – 3×2]

(Photo Credit: GBRing.com)