Christian Medina made sure it wasn’t a lost weekend for boxers from Guadalajara, Mexico.
The first-time title challenger pulled off an upset win on the road to dethrone the previously unbeaten WBO 118lbs titlist Yoshiki Takei via fourth-round knockout. Medina scored an opening round knockdown and ultimately battered Takei into submission at 1:21 of the fourth round Sunday at IG Arena in Nagoya, Japan.
Yokohoma’s Takei vowed to Inoue – his long-time friend and promotional stablemate – that he would steal the show and send Medina packing early in the night.
However, it was his reign that was threatened from the very opening round, when Medina floored the unbeaten titlist. A straight right hand during an exchange landed flush for the visiting Mexican and sent Takei, 29, to the canvas.
It capped a fast-paced opening round in which both fighters landed early and often. Medina enjoyed frequent success with his right hand up top; Takei connected with lefts both upstairs and to the body out of his southpaw stance.
Medina carried over his momentum into the second while Takei was forced to dig his way out of a hole. Takei attempted to provide angles to change up his luck. It didn’t take, because Medina successfully cut off the ring and continued to land right hand shots straight down the middle. Takei’s counter efforts further left him exposed for incoming left hooks.
Takei briefly changed his luck at the start of the third. A combination landed for the defending titlist as Medina’s offense was slowed for the first time in the fight. Takei loaded up with a right hook, which missed the mark. Medina, 25, connected with a right hand as well as a left hook. Takei returned to the jab which kept Medina at bay for the remainder of the round.
That didn’t last long at all. Medina went right back on the attack in the fourth.
Takei shot his jab from long range, which often missed the mark. Medina stood his ground in the center of the ring and continued to score with right hands. His aggression forced Takei to fight in reverse until the soon-to-be-vanquished titlist ran out of space. Medina connected with a pair of left hooks before a barrage of right uppercuts left Takei defenseless. The referee Ramon Peña saw enough and immediately intervened to rescue Takei from additional punishment.
Medina improved to 26-4 (19 KOs) with the win. It came hours after Medina’s more celebrated countryman and Guadalajara native Saul “Canelo” Alvarez endured his undisputed 168lbs championship reign being ended by Terence “Bud” Crawford in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Takei, 11-1 (9 KOs), suffered his first career defeat. It also marked the end of his title reign after just 16 months. He claimed the WBO belt in a 12-round, unanimous decision win over Jason Moloney in May in Tokyo. Two successful defenses followed before it came to a crashing halt at the heavy hands of Medina.
Sunday's verdict marks the first time since 2019 that Japan is left without a major titleholder at bantamweight.
The six-plus year run dated back to Inoue's two-round destruction of Emmanuel Rodriguez to claim the IBF belt, months after he won a secondary version of the WBA belt. Inoue went on to fully unify the division before he vacated in 2023. Takuma Inoue, Naoya's younger brother, collected the vacant WBA belt. By last spring, all four major titleholders at the weight were from Japan.
Seiya Tsutsumi's WBA reign was downgraded to "Champion in Recess", which resulted in a promotion for Antonio Vargas. Junto Nakatani held the WBC and IBF belts but will now campaign in the 122lbs division in pursuit of a superfight with the elder Inoue next spring.
