15-year-old kickboxing sensation Chihiro Imoto successfully defended her ACCEL Vassilis 48kg women’s title on Monday night at ACCEL vol.23 in Osaka, Japan. Imoto earned a one-sided Unanimous Decision victory over challenger Yumi in a professional bout on the featured main card.
Imoto, who captured the ACCEL title in her December 24th pro debut, was in complete control of Monday’s fight and she outstruck Yumi throughout the three-round bout. All three judges scored the fight for Imoto, and the teen standout has now won a remarkable 136 fights during her eight-year career.
Imoto (134-18-1 amateur; 2-0-0 pro) put pressure on her opponent with quick combinations right away in Monday’s fight. Yumi, who entered the bout with a bandaged right arm after recently dislocating her shoulder, tried to score with short punches in close but had little success. Imoto set up hard right hands with jabs and left hooks, and she kept Yumi on the defensive with her strikes at all times.
As the fight progressed, Imoto continued to dominate the exchanges, but Yumi took some of the teen fighter’s best shots and remained on her feet. Imoto landed more hard punches in the final round and the bout ultimately went to the scorecards. The judges returned identical 30-26 cards for Imoto, who retained her title in her first professional championship defence. She celebrates her 16th birthday on May 6th.
Winner: Chihiro Imoto by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26) after three 2:00 rounds. She improves to 2-0-0 as a professional and remains the ACCEL Vassilis 48kg Women’s Champion.
(Photo Credit: Kokushi Gym)