Jin Sisaki vs Sora Tanaka Preview May 2nd 2026
Jin Sasaki of Japan returns to the ring in Tokyo this Saturday, May 2nd to take on unbeaten fellow countryman Sora Tanaka for Tanaka’s Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation Welterweight Crown. The 10-round bout is on the undercard of the Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani fight and can be seen live in most nations on DAZN with the card getting underway at 5:40 am ET. Fans in Japan can see it on Lemino and it’s reportedly on ESPN Knockout in Latin America. Sasaki last fought in February when he stopped Marlon Pagalpalan in the second round with a tremendous one-punch knockout after Pagalpalan rained a torrent of punches down on him. Sasaki was testing the waters after being brutally knocked out himself by Brian Norman Jr. in the fifth round last June in a shot at the WBO Welterweight Title. In his previous outing in January, 2025, Sasaki beat fellow countryman Shoki Sakai via a 12-round unanimous decision to defend his WBO Asia-Pacific, and Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation Welterweight Titles. Tanaka last boxed in October when he stopped Shoki Sakai in the sixth round to retain his title.
Sisaski vs Tanaka Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Jin Sasaki +109
- Sora Tanaka -140
My Pick
Sasaki is just 24 years old and has built up a mark of 20-2-1 with 18 Ko’s and has 94 rounds to his name since making his pro debut in 2018. He took up boxing when he started junior high school and reportedly went just 1-3 as an amateur. Things have certainly gone better for the youngster since turning pro as a teenager as he reached the 2019 East Japan Lightweight Rookie of the Year Final. However, he couldn’t make weight when he got there.
In 2020, Sasaki captured the Japanese Super Lightweight Youth Title by stopping Aso Ishiwaka in the third round. He defended the belt against Kaiki Yuba via a second-round KO to earn a shot at the vacant Japanese Super Lightweight Crown and the WBO Asia-Pacific Super Lightweight Title. He faced off against unbeaten Andy Hiraoka and was halted in 11th round for his first pro defeat. Unfortunately, he had a weight problem again as he was four pounds overweight and the 140 lb title was on the line for Hiraoka only.
This led to the Japanese Boxing Commission suspending Sasaki’s license in October, 2021 for six months and they also fined him 20 per cent of his purse. When he returned to the ring in April, 2022, Sasaki had moved up to the welterweight division and halted Marcus Smith in the fifth round. The lone draw on his record came in his next fight when he fought to a six-round stalemate with Kotaro Sekine. He then won the WBO Asia-Pacific Welterweight Belt in November, 2023 when he took care of Ryota Toyoshima in just 116 seconds. Sasaki added the vacant Oriental and Pacific Belt with a fifth-round TKO over Joe Noynay in 2024.
It’s obvious that Sasaki has a ton of power as he’s gone the distance just three times as a pro and 90 per cent of his victories have come by stoppage. However, his ability to take a punch is a big question mark as he’s been stopped in his two defeats. Sekine went the distance with him in their draw and he beat Hikaro Satu via a four-round unanimous decision in 2019 as well as going the distance with Shoki Sakai. Although Sasaki was stopped by Hiraoka and Norman, they did represent a step up in class. Sasaki measures just over 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 69.5-inch reach.
Tanaka is also just 24 years old and he makes the ring walk with a perfect mark of 5-0 with 5 Ko’s for a 100 per cent knockout ratio and is nicknamed ‘Tyson of Yokohama.’ He turned pro in June, 2024 and has boxed just 17 rounds since as he has stopped every opponent he’s met. The longest he’s been in a fight is into the sixth round, which was against Sakai in his last outing.
He won his OPBF Welterweight Belt last June when he halted Takeru Kobata in the fourth round and then defended it for the first time against Shoki Sakai. At 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 65.5-inch reach, Tanaka gives up three inches in height to Sasaki as well as four inches in reach. He’s fought exclusively in Japan as a pro and will be taking a decided step up in class against Sasaki. Both Sasaki and Tanaka fought Sakai with Sasaki going the 12-round distance and Tanaka halting him in the sixth round.
Prediction…
This fight could be an all-out brawl as Sasaki and Tanaka are a couple of knockout artists. We also know that Sasaki doesn’t own the greatest chin and it’ll be interesting to see how Tanaka handles his power and vice versa. Sasaki isn’t he hardest guy to hit but he’ll need to improve defensively this weekend against a fellow power puncher. I’ll give Sasaki a slight edge here as Tanaka hasn’t really been tested yet. However, this fight could still end dramatically by anybody with a single punch.
Sasaki has the edge in experience.
Play: Sasaki +109 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Jin Sasaki betting • Sora Tanaka betting