Phumelele Cafu Narrowly Wins The Title From Kosei Tanaka
Japan’s Kosei Tanaka put the WBO junior bantamweight line against South African Phumelele Cafu at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. A four-division champion, Tanaka has been one of the elite fighters in boxing’s lower-weight divisions for the past decade. He won the WBO strap in February 2024 with a unanimous decision victory over Christian Rangel.
He faced Cafu, who fought for the first time outside of his native Africa. For the challenger, Tanaka represented a huge jump up in class.
FROM UNKNOWN TO BEING A CHAMPION
The sharp punches and aggression of Tanaka (20-2, 11KO) versus the counter-punching of Cafu (11-0-3, 8) provided plenty of action. The Japanese footwork and work rate were on point as he landed the jab, followed by the right hand and hard left hooks.
Yet, Cafu was ready for the moment and went to the body while finding success with hard counter shots. He shifted strategy and used uppercuts to break Tanaka’s defense. In round five, he landed a punishing right hand that put the WBO champion on the canvas.
Tanaka recovered and went to work over the next few rounds, He used the jab, movement, combination punches, and a relentless body attack to regain control of the fight. It seemed as if that knockdown woke the lion inside of him.
In the closing rounds, both men had success with their offense. Tanaka fought hard down the stretch, picking up the pace with combinations. Yet, Cafu kept finding a home for the right hands and even landed a couple of hard left hooks.
In the end, that knockdown was the difference on the scorecards. One judge saw it 114-113 for Tanaka, and the other judges scored it 114-113 for Cafu.
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