Victoriva 5 Showcase in Tokyo: Hanagata, Alarcon, Matsuda and More
By Yuriko Miyata
A vigorous promoting company DANGAN is doing a great job of running the all-women event “Victoriva”. The fifth version was held last Thursday at the boxing Mecca, Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
In the main event, current IBF atomweight champion Saemi Hanagata （16-7-4, 7KOs）won a split decision over former WBO champion Nao Ikeyama（18-6-4,5KOs）to retain her world title and to finally settle their trilogy. Their first two encounters ended in split draws. Ikeyama had make six defenses of the WBO title including two draws against Hanagata, then, she lost a title defense to Mika Iwakawa by split decision last year.
Hanagata became a world champion at her fifth attempt beating Yuko Kuroki for the vacant IBF title a year ago. Facing Ikeyama as a champion for the first time, Hanagata started their 21st round very strong with effective left jabs and right crosses. Ikeyama never backed off. In a crouching style the former champion tried going forward to bother Hanagata with right uppercuts and left hooks. Around the midway, the battle went toe-to-toe again and ended up scored as 96-94, 96-94, and 94-96.
“I wanted to win this fight clearly, but I admire my longtime rival Ikeyama really. I am just happy to keep my belt in my hand. People call the first defense the gateway to be a true champion,” Hanagata said. And also the 34 year-old queen made a surprise announcement from the ring: “I will get married soon. I cannot introduce my fiance to everybody today, but he is seeing this somewhere in this venue.”
Fans in the house gave her a warm applause, as it is very rare to see (maybe for the first time in history?) that a female fighter made such a statement in the ring. Everybody wishes a personal happiness for Hanagata who had devoted herself to be a world champion for 6 years since the first attempt in 2012, especially her manager (not her father) Susumu Hanagata, a former WBA flyweight champion who beat Efren Torres in a non title bout in 1969, who knows the hard work she endured in the gym.
Ikeyama, who turns 50 in a week from this fight, has been away from victory since she beat Ayaka Miyao for the fifth defense of the WBO title in December 2016. It’s great to see that the legend can still move and fight but is she thinking of the time to call it a day finally.
WBA Title
The co-feature was the WBA version title bout at the same lightest weight class. Its regular champion Monserrat Alarcon（13-4-1) flew all the way from Mexico in the Independence Day week to retain the title against challenger Ayaka Miyao（23-8-1、6KOs）by split decision with the scores of 98-92, 96-94, and 94-96 in the scheduled 10 round contest.
Miyao`s solid jab and right straight to the body and head worked out well to take the initiative of the fight. In the third round, Alarcon, whose corner man was former WBC super flyweight champion Jose Luis Bueno who lost his title in Japan in 25 years ago, started picking it up and dodging her opponent’s punches to land quick three-punch combinations. She was much smaller than Miyao but worked busier dealing inside and outside.
Interim champion Miyao was looking to time counter straight rights that made her look a little passive. She got aggressive from seventh round on but there were not very good hits to clearly win the fight. It was Alarcon’s second victory in Japan since she won the WBO flyweight title from Nana Yoshikawa in April 2017. Then she became a two-time world champion by capturing the vacant WBA atomweight title last year. Unifying the title against Miyao was also Alarcon’s second defense of her regular title.
“Fighting in my opponent’s home country motivated me a lot. Thank you people in Japan for welcoming me again,” The unified champion said smiling. Miyao could not regain the WBA regular title which she kept until losing it to Momo Koseki in October 2015.
Fighter of the Night
It must be Eri Matsuda, both Japanese (JBC, Japan Boxing Commission) and OPBF (Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation ) champion in atomweight, if there were MVP award that day.
Matsuda（4-0, 1KO）fought a six rounder only for her Japanese title at stake, and stopped Mont Blanc Miki (4-3-1,1KO), #2 contender rated by JBC, at 1:55 in the fifth round to retain the title for the first time. The stylish southpaw with a contented career in amateurs was bothered only in the first two minutes by the determined challenger’s right hands. She dominated the fight from the second round with sharp long jabs and accurate combinations.
In the ending of the fifth round, she dropped Mont Blanc down by her right hook to the jaw. It was an eye-popping knock down scene, very rare to see in the lighter weight female fights. Mont Blanc was valiant to stand up and want to keep fighting, but the referee halted the contest when Matsuda’s connected further with two crisp left hands.
“I don’t think it was a perfect performance of me. I keep working hard to go further,” the champion said humbly.
She won the vacant OPBF title in her second professional fight over Minayo Kei last December, and took the Japanese title from Nanae Suzuki this March. It is obvious that the 25 year-old southpaw with solid technique and speed is one of the prospects to watch.
Other bouts
In the undercard, former Japanese atomweight champion Nanae Suzuki（9-3-1, 1KO）defeated Minayo Kei（6-5, 1KO）by unanimous decision in an eight rounder. It seemed a good matchup as both were coming back from losses to Matsuda. Suzuki improved her technique adding to her tremendous rushing stamina. She used good jabs and connected right uppercuts and crosses to the opponent who came in low, to win clearly by the scores of 79-74, 78-74, 77-75.
Midorikawa Aira (5-0, 1KO), rated #6 in featherweight by JBC, outclassed Natsumi Shimauma (3-2, 1KO), JBC #4 in bantamweight, as scored 60-54, 60-55, 59-55 in the six rounder at contracted 55 kilograms. It was their rematch after Midorikawa won by TKO in two rounds in May 2018. Both seemed cautious in the beginning but Midorikawa started dominating with solid straight rights.
“The fighting doctor” Rena Takahashi (2-3, 1KO) won a unanimous decision over Ploypailin Palatsrichuai (0-2) of Thailand in a light flyweight four round contest. The scores were 39-37 by two and 39-38.
Bantamweight slugger Rean Koizumi (2-2, 2KOs) stopped Yukimi Kasajima (0-2) at 1:39 in the first round. She pressed Kasajima hard from the opening bell, and her left hook stumbled the opponent. Then she rushed until the referee halted it.
Atomweight Atsuko Ishiguro (1-1, 1KO）also stopped Ai Oki (0-3) in 44 seconds into the second round in the scheduled four round contest.