AARON MCKENNA and Kieron Conway will meet in an intriguing Britain vs Eire semi-final after surging to stoppage wins of their Prizefighter quarter-finals.
Within the first struggle evening of Matchroom’s new Japanese enterprise, all 4 quarter-finals occurred and there have been fireworks throughout the quartet of 10-round middleweight showdowns on the Yamato Enviornment in Suite.
Northampton’s Conway made a flying begin within the first struggle of the evening, seeing off Ainiwaer Yilixiati of China within the seventh spherical. Yilixiati was unbeaten since 2017 however Conway proved his class and it was a giant proper hand which finally pressured the referee to wave issues off with a minute left within the seventh.
Together with his place within the final 4 assured, Conway may then sit again and see who he can be combating subsequent with McKenna taking over Florida’s Jeovanny Estela within the evening’s second quarter-final and a battle of two undefeated middleweights.
Estela had made an excellent begin to the competition and landed with a giant proper hand within the first spherical which McKenna took properly. And the Los Angeles based mostly Irishman quickly obtained a foothold within the struggle and rocked Estela with a giant left hook within the fourth.
From then on it was the McKenna present as he started to interrupt Estela down, touchdown with arduous photographs to move and physique. It was turning right into a one-sided beatdown however Estela by some means made it till the ultimate spherical on his toes.
Nonetheless, McKenna wouldn’t denied his break up of the evening’s knockout bonus, with $100,000 break up between whoever can finish their struggle inside the space, by securing a stoppage with lower than a minute remaining within the tenth.
Within the struggle of the evening, Kazuto Takesako secured a unanimous resolution victory over Durham’s Mark Dickinson in quarter-final three. The pair have been evenly matched and had their very own pockets of success all through the conflict. By the tenth, they each opened hearth seeking a late stoppage of their very own however they have been nonetheless standing as the ultimate bell rang.
The scorecards have been learn out in Japanese that means Dickinson would have had no thought he was the crushed man till Takesako’s hand was raised. The judges’ scorecards learn 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92 all in favour of the Tokyo resident.
The fourth and closing quarter closing of the evening and the nominal important occasion was an all-Japan derby between native favorite Riki Kunimoto and Eiki Kani, in what was a rematch of their March conflict in Nagoya.
That evening, Kunimoto received through a sixth-round stoppage however Kani arrived right here clearly in search of revenge. He didn’t have an excessive amount of success within the opening two rounds however began to land with actual authority within the third because the struggle ignited.
However Kunimoto roared again within the fourth and despatched Kani stumbling again to the ropes with a proper hook after 60 seconds of the spherical. What adopted was a relentless onslaught from Kunimoto however Kani by some means managed to hold in there.
A left hook inside the ultimate minute of the spherical harm Kani once more, nevertheless, and with extra punches raining down on him the referee contemplating a stoppage. Kani made it to the bell but it surely was extra of the identical early within the fifth and the referee determined to step in with 1:55 remaining.
Kunimoto will now get his likelihood at revenge in opposition to Takesako, who’s the one man to have crushed him. The pair met in Could 2021 with Takesako securing a stoppage within the first spherical however three years on they may meet with a spot within the closing at stake.
“There may be heaps extra to return,” mentioned Matchroom CEO Frank Smith of the evening. “However this was an thrilling begin.”
