Weekend Recap: Mio Tsumura, Mina & Chihiro Imoto VictoriousTwo-time Shoot Boxing JKS48 tournament champion Mio Tsumura returned to her winning ways with a Unanimous Decision victory on Saturday night at Shoot Boxing 2014: Act.4 in Tokyo, Japan. The talented fighter outpointed Tribelate champion Hana Date in a three-round matchup on the card.

Earlier in the night, Shoot Boxing postergirl Mina scored a much-needed Majority Decision victory over Date’s teammate, Nori. On Sunday night at Gladiator 75 in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, 17-year-old kickboxer Chihiro Imoto earned her 141st win by defeating Miyu Irie in a flyweight title fight.

 

Tsumura (14-2-0 SB) countered early side kicks from Hana by landing quick kicks to the legs and midsection. Hana pressed forward and initiated a clinch, but Tsumura scored a nice throw to earn a Shoot Point. Tsumura struck from a distance in round two and avoided most of Hana’s side kicks and spinning backfist attempts. She landed combinations of punches and more leg kicks that kept Hana guessing. Tsumura landed more crisp punches in the final round as Hana began to slow down and the bout went to the scorecards. All three judges scored the fight 30-28 for Tsumura.

Saturday’s win got Tsumura back on track following her disappointing defeat against Yukari Yamaguchi in the finals of the 48kg Shoot Boxing Japan Girls S-Cup tournament in August. She remains one of the biggest stars on the Shoot Boxing roster.

In a 58kg bout on the preliminary card, Mina (7-4-0 SB) scored with punching combinations throughout her battle with Nori, who employed a similar strategy as her teammate and relied heavily on side kicks. Nori had success in round two by landing spinning back kicks and combinations, but Mina’s precise punches in rounds one and three were enough to take a lead on the scorecards. Nori began to fatigue in the final round and the fight went the distance. One judge scored the bout even at 29-29, while the remaining two had it 30-29 and 29-28 for Mina.

 

Imoto (135-18-1 amateur; 6-0-1 pro) kept her undefeated professional kickboxing record intact with a clear-cut victory over Irie in Nagoya. Imoto, who has struggled with the cut down to 48kg (105.6 pounds) as she has gotten older, was stripped of her ACCEL Vassilis women’s title in August when she weighed in heavy for her championship bout against Haruka. The fight was ultimately ruled a Majority Draw due to Imoto’s two-point deduction for missing weight and the title was vacated.

Sunday was a different story and Imoto had no trouble with the scale or with her opponent. She scored with quick punches and body kicks throughout the three-round fight en route to a Unanimous Decision victory. The win earned Imoto the Gladiator Women’s Flyweight Championship, which is now added to her long list of titles held. At just 17 years of age, Imoto is one of the most talented strikers in Japan.

 

 

(Photo Credit: Shoot Boxing)