From the first 40 seconds, it was clear Jin Sasaki had no business being in the ring with Brian Norman Jr.
Sasaki came out reckless, winging an overhand right like he had something to prove. Norman made him pay. Left hook counter. Bang — down goes Sasaki. He got up, but it didn’t matter. Another combination — boom, second knockdown.
Still in round one. Norman poured it on: left hooks, body shots, right hands up top. Sasaki survived the round. Barely.
In the second round, Sasaki tried to swing his way back in. It was ugly. Desperate. He landed one solid right hand halfway through the round, but Norman took it and answered with sharp, tight counters.
Norman smashed the body, split the guard with clean rights, and stood in the pocket with zero fear. Sasaki landed a decent shot at the end, but Norman answered instantly-
By round three, Norman was in complete control. Sasaki shelled up, trying to survive. Norman walked him down and started launching bombs — heavy rights, brutal hooks, short flurries to the head and ribs.
Sasaki stopped throwing. He just stood there, absorbing punishment. His legs buckled at the bell after a clean right hand snapped his neck sideways. The gap in class? Massive.
4th round, Sasaki tried pushing forward — and walked into another right hand. Norman slipped, rolled, and walked him into a brutal right hook counter. A left to the body followed. Sasaki was still standing, but looked like a man walking a tightrope with no balance left.
Norman kept drilling him with the same shots over and over. Sasaki stayed upright, but that’s about the only thing he was winning.
This is a mismatch.
Round five. One minute in. BOOM — left hook. LIGHTS OUT!
Sasaki hit the canvas like a sack of potatoes and never even twitched. Norman didn’t even bother celebrating. Why would he? It was too easy. A complete and utter mismatch. Sasaki was still lying motionless as his corner and medics scrambled in.
OUT COLD!!!
THE CHAMP PUT HIM TO SLEEP 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/lj4PXY0kQv
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) June 19, 2025
Sora Tanaka Bludgeons Kobata In Four
In a one-sided thrashing, Sora Tanaka walked Takeru Kobata down for three straight rounds, landing clean, brutal shots while the ref stood there like he was watching a sparring session. The fourth round? Same punishment — until Kobata finally wilted and the ref ran out of excuses.
Official result: TKO4.
Simsri survives knockdown
Thanongsak Simsri walked through fire, got off the deck in round three, and still outpointed Cristian Araneta over 12 hard rounds to become the new IBF light flyweight champion. One judge had it 114-113 Araneta — the other two saw it right: 116-111 and 115-112 Simsri.
Simsri brought the heat early, working head and body while Araneta bled by round two. But a perfectly timed left hook in round three put Simsri on the canvas. He got up, wiped the blood from his own cut, and bit down. From that point on, the Thai fighter simply did more. Araneta waited. Simsri worked. That was the difference..
Abe edges Oku to take Japanese featherweight crown
Reiya Abe walked the tightrope and walked off with the belt. He edged Yuya Oku by unanimous decision (96-94, 97-93, 96-94) to become the new Japanese featherweight champion — this one could’ve gone either way.
The fight was cagey early, with Abe banking rounds while Oku looked like he was sleepwalking through the mid-frames. By the time Oku finally woke up in round 10, it was too late.
Oku finished better, but Abe did just enough before that.
Full Fight Results (Tokyo, Japan):
- Sora Tanaka def. Takeru Kobata – TKO 4 -welterweights, 12 rounds
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Thanongsak Simsri def. Cristian Araneta — SD12 (116-111, 115-112, 113-114), IBF light flyweight title
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Reiya Abe def. Yuya Oku — UD10 (97-93, 96-94 x2), Japanese featherweight title
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Ren Ohashi def. Guangheng Luan — TKO5 (2:23), 8-round featherweight bout
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Yuito Moriwaki def. Ha So Baek — UD8 (79-72, 78-73, 77-74), super middleweights
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Seiya Yamaguchi def. Ryosuke Kiuchi — UD4 (40-35, 39-36 x2), lightweights