Kenichi Ogawa has returned it all.
The Japanese lightweight tennis player, who won the main belt in the ring only to lose it after testing positive for a banned substance in 2017, knocked out Azinga Fuzile three times and won a unanimous decision to claimed the vacant IBF title on Saturday’s Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos Card in New York.
Ogawa (26-1-1, 18 KOs) and Fuzile (15-2, 9 KOs) engaged in a contentious tactical fight for four plus rounds. Then, in Round 5, a straight punch from Ogawa knocked out Fuzile and injured him.
The South African was able to survive the round but managed to fight for the next four rounds, which allowed Ogawa to be more aggressive in controlling the action and winning the rounds.
Fuzile, clearly feeling he needed to speed up for a chance to win, slowed down despite cuts on both eyes.
However, that wasn’t enough to stop Ogawa, who absorbed everything Fuzile threw at him and then turned up the heat in Round 12 to try to score with a knockout. Another straight punch forced Fuzile to reach the canvas a second time. And then the same punch produces the same result a third time.
Fuzile survived to hear the final bell, but was severely beaten, both on the body and on the cards.
The final scores are 115-110, 115-110 and 114-111. Boxing Junkie scored it 116-109.
Ogawa defeated Tevin Farmer by a decisive match to claim the vacant 130-pound IBF title but the result was changed to no contest following Ogawa’s positive test result, and he was suspended. .
