Masahiro Sakamoto Turned Rookie Honors Into a World-Title
Masahiro Sakamoto challenged Moruti Mthalane for the IBF flyweight championship in Macau on December 31, 2018. Mthalane retained the belt by tenth-round technical knockout, ending the Japanese challenger’s first world-title opportunity.
Career highlights
Sakamoto made his professional debut in December 2014, winning a four-round decision over Yusuke Hiranuma. He then won Japan’s 2015 All-Japan Rookie of the Year flyweight final with a third-round knockout of Hiroyasu Shiga.
His first WBO Asia Pacific flyweight title attempt came against Sho Kimura in November 2016 and ended in a twelve-round majority-decision defeat. Sakamoto later won the regional championship by stopping former world champion Kwanthai Sithmorseng in December 2017.
The Mthalane challenge and final bout
After defending the regional title once in 2018, Sakamoto faced Mthalane in Macau. He returned to the ring in May 2019 against Yusuke Sakashita, losing by sixth-round technical knockout. His professional record finished at thirteen wins and three defeats, with nine knockout victories.
Sakamoto defended his WBO Asia Pacific belt with a sixth-round knockout of Pigmy Kokietgym in April 2018. His August victory over Ki-Chang Go was a non-title contest. Outside boxing, he studied at Osaka City University’s graduate school, conducting research into titanium dioxide in a materials engineering laboratory. That academic work accompanied the short professional career that took him from rookie honors to a world championship challenge.
Sources
- Boxing Meikan: Sakamoto’s debut, rookie championship and title contests
- BoxerList: Sakamoto’s final bout against Yusuke Sakashita
