TOKYO, Japan – There were mixed fortunes for Japanese prospects Kai Watanabe and Toshiki Shimomachi, who both had brushes with the canvas in their respective 10-rounders with Tsubasa Narai and Misaki Hirano, inside the Ariake Arena.

Watanabe, 14-2-1 (7 KOs), looked to have been dropped in round three but seemed to have established control only to lose a contentious split decision. The scores of 96-94, two for Narai and one for Watanabe, surprised many observers – and Narai himself, who apologized for his performance in the aftermath.

The bout, set at a catchweight of 132lbs, started slowly as Tokyo’s Watanabe tried to keep Narai, 15-2 (10 KOs), at bay with his upright style and long lead. But Narai, 25, burst into action in the second round, fizzing beneath that left jab to briefly rattle 22-year-old Watanabe with a right.

The favored Watanabe twice hit the deck in the third as Narai burst forward again, a left sending his rival reeling only for the shove that followed to persuade the referee to rule it out as a legitimate fall. Watanabe, clearly hurt, was bundled to the floor shortly afterwards but, again, the third man shook his head.

Narai, also based in Tokyo, struggled to close the distance in the next and, after being stung several times by that accurate Watanabe jab in round five, it seemed like the tide had turned – particularly as blood trickled from a cut above Narai’s left eye.

The well-regarded Watanabe – described by Japanese reporters as a “star prospect” – continued to box with patience and maturity. Faced with such composure, the earlier aggression from Narai all but evaporated in the middle rounds.

The underdog, however, continued to probe for openings but found himself prodded and swatted by the jab and accompanying right of Watanabe whenever he strayed too close. To his credit, Narai rallied again at the end of the ninth as Watanabe grew too confident. A right cannoned into the favorite, as he lost his shape when he tried a three-punch combination on the inside, and briefly snapped Watanebe’s long period of control. That aggression, though largely ineffective, is what caught the eyes of the judges.

Opening broadcast proceedings was Osaka’s Japanese junior featherweight champion Shimomachi who defeated the plucky – and unlucky – Misaki Hirano via majority decision to retain his title. The scores were 95-93 (twice) and 94-94.

Southpaw Shimomachi had success with the right hook and was unlucky to not score a knockdown in the fourth, as Hirano went down but the referee didn’t seem to see the punch land. The same shot, timed perfectly in round six, dropped Hirano, 11-2 (4 KOs). The underdog was more stunned than hurt, regained his footing, and continued to take the fight to his fellow 28-year-old.

Kasuga, Fukuoka’s Hirano, using a wide stance to bounce in and out, was busy throughout and made life difficult for the favorite as he regularly caught him on the inside. His aggression, which saw him eat the occasional counter, also set up the second knockdown of the fight. Banging high and low, a looping right to the head connected to send Shimomachi to the mat in the 10th and final round. To many observers, that was enough for Hirano – oozing confidence – to nab the decision. It wasn’t to be, however, as Shimomachi improved to 20-1-3 (12 KOs).

Earlier, Tokyo’s Yuni Takada, 16-8-3 (6 KOs), notched a minor upset over Goki Kobayashi, 8-2 (5 KOs) when he won their strawweight 12 with a split decision. One tally for Kobayashi (114-113) was overruled by scores of 116-111 and 114-113 for Takada.