TOKYO - Takuma Inoue defended his WBC bantamweight belt by beating ex-kickboxer and challenger Tenshin Nasukawa by unanimous decision in their rematch at Toyota Arena Tokyo on Sunday.
The pair met last November when Inoue, the younger brother of undisputed super bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue, also won by unanimous decision to secure the belt.
Inoue dominated at Toyota Arena Tokyo before being knocked down by Nasukawa's left straight, but managed to avoid further punishment until the final bell.
"Tenshin is strong. I felt he's really growing," Inoue said. "Hence I got fired up and managed to win in the end. It was my lack of concentration (for the knockdown)."
"There is a lot to improve. I'll keep collecting belts."
Earlier in the world title quadrupleheader, Ryusei Matsumoto won the WBO minimumweight interim title by unanimous decision over Mexico's Russell Acosta.
Tomoya Tsuboi lost in a split decision to South Africa's Ricardo Malajika in the WBC super flyweight title bout, suffering his first defeat in five professional fights.
Ryosuke Nishida lost a unanimous decision to Australia's Sam Goodman in the IBF super bantamweight interim title match, missing a chance to win a title in a second weight class.
