Former Shoot Boxing Japan Women’s Flyweight Champion Ai Takahashi makes her J-Girls kickboxing debut on June 22nd at J-Girls: “The Shining Wild Angels 2nd” in Tokyo, Japan. Takahashi faces J-Girls Bantamweight Champion Madoka Jinnai in a 53.5-kilogram (117.7-pound) non-title bout.
J-Girls officials announced the matchup this past week. Takahashi picked up a quick first-round TKO victory in her most recent shoot boxing match in April. Jinnai is 2-0 since capturing the J-Girls title this past July and she most recently earned a lopsided Unanimous Decision win eight days ago.
Takahashi (19-5-0 KB/SB) has been one of Japan’s premier female strikers for more than four years. The three-time Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup finalist has won 12 of her past 15 fights, with all three defeats coming at the hands of teen prodigy Mizuki Inoue. In the pair’s third fight in August, Takahashi dropped a three-round decision to Inoue in the championship final of the 2013 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup 53.5kg tournament. Takahashi rebounded with a win over veteran Miyo Yoshida in November and most recently stopped Matsukuma Kikukawa on April 18th.
Jinnai (15-4-0 KB) is one of the top stars on the J-Girls roster and she brings an impressive record into the showdown with Takahashi. The reigning WPMF Japan Women’s Bantamweight Champion added another prestigious title to her collection on July 28th with a five-round Unanimous Decision victory over Ikue Tanimura. Jinnai claimed the J-Girls Bantamweight Championship with the win and she has since gone on to pick up two more impressive victories. On May 18th, she dominated Miyumi Takahashi at an M-Fight event in Tokyo.
Next month’s bout between Takahashi and Jinnai will be contested under J-Girls kickboxing rules, but plans have already been put in place for a shoot boxing match between the two later this year. Details of the shoot boxing rematch are expected to be revealed following the pair’s initial fight.
J-Girls: “The Shining Wild Angels 2nd” takes place on June 22nd at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan. The event also features the professional debut of highly-touted 15-year-old Yukari Yamaguchi – the primary training partner of Mizuki Inoue – who takes on veteran Megumi Igawa.
(Photo Credit: Shoot Boxing)