KENSHIRO Teraji saved the best until last in Tokyo, stopping Seigo Yuri Akui in the 12th and final round of their unification clash. Teraji walked away with his WBC belt along with Akui’s WBA flyweight title.
The contest was fought at a fierce pace. When the final session arrived, Teraji trailed on two of the scorecards 105-104. He was ahead 106-103 on the third. Refusing to leave anything to chance, the 33-year-old ‘Amazing Boy’ went for broke, thumping home punches that forced the referee’s intervention at 1-31 of the 12th round.
The third man’s initial move, stepping in to scoop up the loser, appeared slightly premature at first glance. However, as Akui stood bloody and battered, breathing heavily as the corner team wiped his face, it was clear that the stoppage was compassionate and correct.
Pride and passion were on display throughout the opening rounds as Akui worked the right hand, making his veteran opponent repeatedly pay for any mistakes.
Once Teraji got the familiar bounce in his boots and let go with the jab, his class and precision told. Time and again Kenshiro’s mop of hair flashed from side to side as his fellow countryman whipped in double-fisted hooks. In the end, Akui was stopped for the third time in his career as the energy reserves ran out.
This was Kenshiro Teraji’s, 24-1 (15 KOs), 17th consecutive world title fight, spanning back to May 2017. A remarkable statistic. Arriving unbeaten since 2018, Akui’s own slate dropped to 21-3-1 (11 KOs) as his coveted WBA title slipped away.
