WBA and WBO bantamweight No. 1 ranked boxer Riku Masuda (28), affiliated with Teiken Gym, and former WBA minimumweight champion Ryusei Matsumoto (28), also affiliated with Teiken Gym, will appear in "Exciting Match SP: Donaire vs. Riku Masuda and Ryusei Matsumoto vs. Yujin Takada," which will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW from 9 PM on June 8th.
Both fighters participated in an event held at Yokohama BUNTAI (Naka Ward, Yokohama) on March 15th. Masuda won his WBA challenger elimination bout, and Matsumoto won his WBA minimumweight title defense. In the program, both fighters will look back on their matches and provide "self-commentary."
The program was filmed when both athletes temporarily returned to Tokyo from their training camp in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture. WOWOW released a portion of the filmed content before the broadcast and streaming.
Masuda competed in the WBA World Bantamweight title eliminator and won by 8th round TKO against former five-division world champion Nonito Donaire (43) of the Philippines, taking a big step towards his first world title challenge. Matsumoto won a rematch against Yujin Takada (27) of Lions by a wide margin on points, successfully defending his WBA World Minimumweight title for the first time.
◇Match progress of Riku Masuda
Masuda, a hard-hitting southpaw whose weapon is his powerful left hand, faced Donaire, a world-renowned legend nicknamed "The Filipino Flash." Donaire's signature move is his deadly left hook. Masuda revealed that he was wary of that punch, saying, "First and foremost, I had to avoid getting hit by that left hook," and added, "I prepared with the intention of being aggressive." He believed that the key to the match would be to be extremely careful of that destructive power while preventing the seasoned veteran from gaining control of the pace.
As the fight began, Masuda put pressure on Donaire with right jabs. "In the early rounds, I wanted to land my right hand properly and prepare to land my left," said Masuda. In the middle rounds, his preparation paid off, and he gradually began to time his signature left straight punches correctly.
In the fifth round, Masuda was on the offensive when he was hit by a right hook from Donaire, but that was the only time he was in trouble. After that, he continued to inflict damage with right jabs and left straights, and in the seventh round, he landed a perfectly timed one-two combination that sent Donaire to the canvas. In the eighth round, Masuda landed a left straight, and Donaire's corner threw in the towel, ending the fight. Masuda said that defeating a big name had "gained him confidence," but he didn't show a smile at all the moment the fight ended. He said he "wanted to end it cleanly."
◇Matsumoto Ryusei's match progress
Up-and-coming southpaw Matsumoto faced Takada in a title fight last September. Matsumoto was leading the match, but in the fifth round, Takada was injured by an accidental headbutt. The match was unable to continue, and Matsumoto became world champion by technical decision, a rather unsatisfying outcome. "I want to settle this once and for all." For Matsumoto, this direct rematch was an unavoidable one.
The match began with Takada, burning with a desire for revenge, taking a completely different, aggressive approach from his previous fight. Matsumoto, who said, "I knew he would come forward. Instead of backing down, I thought about making him retreat," used his brilliant footwork to keep Takada off balance while landing precise punches at key moments to prevent his challenger from advancing. Matsumoto initially controlled the pace of the match using his superior defensive skills.
Matsumoto's momentum showed no signs of slowing down. He extended his lead with his characteristic speed and sharp punches, continuing to inflict damage on Takada. However, the spirited challenger did not give up and continued to press forward even in the final rounds. Matsumoto, who was dominant throughout the fight, said, "I was thinking about how I could stop him during the match," but he was unable to break Takada's spirit until the end, and the match went to a decision. All three judges scored it 120-108. Matsumoto, who fought a match of more than eight rounds for the first time, reflected on the fight, saying, "It was a valuable experience to have fought 12 rounds. Not being able to finish him off is something I need to work on in the future."
◇The future of players Masuda and Matsumoto
In the WBA bantamweight division, where Masuda is aiming to win the belt, regular champion Antonio Vargas (29) of the United States will defend his title on June 13 against a big name in the lighter weight classes, Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (26) of the United States. The outcome of the world title fight is still uncertain, but Masuda said with a determined expression, "As the number one ranked fighter, I'm just going to be ready to go at any time."
Matsumoto relinquished his WBA title at the end of last month. He had originally wanted to hold onto the belt and fight a unification bout against a champion from another organization, but the WBA has a super champion, Oscar Coyaso (29, Puerto Rico), who also holds the WBO title, making a unification bout impossible. Matsumoto explained, "I've always wanted to become a real champion, so I relinquished the belt to fight stronger opponents." He added, "Whether I'm satisfied with one title, or take two or three, is up to me."
*... "Exciting Match SP 'Donaire vs. Masuda Riku' and 'Matsumoto Ryusei vs. Takada Yujin'" will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from 9 PM on June 8th.
