Andy Hiraoka clawed his way into title contention.
The undefeated junior welterweight captured an interim version of the WBA title with a ninth-round stoppage of Venezuela’s Ismael Barroso. The entire southpaw battle ended with Barroso’s corner throwing in the towel at 2:58 of round nine on Tuesday at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Barroso, 41, spent the night looking for opportunities. He had pockets of success, but his chances were few. Hiraoka used his long reach, smart footwork and an educated jab to control the range and dictate the exchanges.
Consistency was key for Hiraoka. He owned the center ring, used clever feints and frustrated Barroso into committing too much. A clean counter right from Hiraoka rocked Barroso’s head in the third round.
The middle rounds of the fight followed a similar pattern. Hiraoka stayed long and challenged Barroso to close the gap. He made Barroso pay on both ends, with punishing combinations from close range and tight jabs when boxing from the outside.
Hiraoka rocked Barroso with a counter right hook in the fifth. The same blow produced a lightning takedown in the sixth as Barroso looked more frustrated than hurt.
At the end of the seventh, Hiraoka landed a nice combination, with Barroso back on the ropes. The boxing lesson from Hiraoka continued in the eighth behind his sharp jab. Barroso became increasingly frustrated, he exposed his defensive mistakes. Hiraoka took advantage every time.
Hiraoka opened in the ninth. He dropped Barroso with a flurry of shots, starting with an overhand left bomb and culminating in a right rip to the body. Barroso beat the score, but barely. Hiraoka let loose again, sending the tiring Barroso to the canvas for the third time in the fight.
With seconds left on the clock, Barroso’s corner called for an end to the match. It may not have been an exciting fight, but it was clinical from Hiraoka (24-0, 19 knockouts).
While the belt at stake was only a secondary title, it is now Hiraoka’s ticket to the big stage. He is now the mandatory challenger for full WBA 140-pound titleholder Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs).
Barroso fell to 25-5-2 (23 KOs). He won the interim belt in a first-round knockout of Ismael Barroso on January 6 in Las Vegas.
JIN SASAKI SHINES
Jin Sasaki (18-1-1, 17 KOs) proved again why he is one of the most dangerous boxers in the division.
The Ring’s No.
Sasaki charged with every shot from the opening bell. The 23-year-old Japanese powerhouse jumped in with left hooks to the body and head. This gave Balla an awkward start to the fight and things only got worse early in the second when Sasaki surged forward again and started an unintended clash of heads.
The contact opened a cut over the left eye of Balla, who switched southpaw to protect the cut and had some success from the left-handed stance. When he returned to his corner, Balla was also bleeding from the nose.
In the third round, Sasaki again started quickly, landing explosive shots that Balla struggled to avoid. Bullying Balla backwards, Sasaki caught the 35-year-old Australian on the ropes with a slashing left hook to the ear that crumpled his opponent to the canvas. Sasaki went in for the kill, but Balla weathered the storm. Still, it seemed only a matter of time.
Balla settled against all odds in the fourth and had his best round of the fight in the fifth when he effectively changed stance to land sharp shots from angles. It looked like Sasaki was tired, but it wouldn’t be for long.
The sixth round was all Sasaki as he charged with power punches. He hurt Balla to the body early in the round, but the visitor remained hard pressed to hear the bell even as the hometown favorite dropped him.
It was a small victory. Sasaki, smelling blood in the water, went in for the kill to start the seventh, and he didn’t have to wait long. A flurry of shots left Balla bare across the ring and when Sasaki followed with power shots, referee Michiaki Someya wisely stepped in to stop the slaughter at the 0:52 mark of the round.
Sasaki aims to become the first Japanese boxer to win a version of the world title.
“I want a title fight,” said Sasaki, who is ranked in the top five by all four major sanctioning bodies.
SHIMOMACHI SURVIVES KNCKDOWN TO DEFEAT TSUGAWA
In the 10-round opener, Toshiki Shimomachi (19-1-3, 12 KOs) had to get off the canvas to retain his Japanese junior featherweight title by unanimous decision against a determined Ryuya Tsugawa (13-2, 9 KOs).
The fight was hotly contested through the first seven rounds. Lanky southpaw Shimomachi, 27, used his long levers to good effect, cutting from the outside and punishing the 24-year-old Tsugawa when he jumped inside.
But as the rounds progressed, Tsugawa became more active, especially at the start of each round. His increased aggression paid dividends midway through the eighth stanza when he connected with a left hook, right cross combination. Shimomachi was caught clean and sent him to the canvas.
Unfortunately for Tsugawa, he was unable to complete the job. After two more tight rounds, the fight went to the cards with Shimomachi taking a unanimous decision by scores of 96-93 twice and 97-92.
All three matches took place on the Naoya Inoue-TJ Doheny undercard.
Australian boxing journalist Anthony Cocks has covered the sport for over 20 years for various print and online publications. Follow him on X.
