Takuma Inoue vs Gakuya Furuhashi Preview June 7th, 2022
Takuma Inoue is putting his WBO Asia Pacific Super Bantamweight Title on the line and Gakuya Furuhashi’s Japanese Super Bantamweight Crown is also up for grabs when the two meet at the Super Arena in Saitama this Tuesday, June 7th. The 12-round bout can be seen live on ESPN+ in America on the undercard of the Naoya Inoue vs Nonito Donaire rematch while Japanese fans can catch the action on Amazon Prime Video and those in the UK should be able to view it on You Tube. Be aware that the card gets underway at approximately 5am EST in North America. Inoue won the vacant title in November when he beat Shingo Wake by a 12-round unanimous decision. Furuhashi last fought in January when he battled to a 10-round draw with Yusaku Kuga.
Inoue vs Furuhashi Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Gakuya Furuhashi +500
- Takuma Inoue – 800
My Pick
The 26-year-old Inoue is the younger brother Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue, who’s taking on Nonito Donaire in the main event on Tuesday. The younger Inoue owns a mark of 15-1 with 3 Kos. He turned pro in 2013 and has 1385 rounds of experience under his belt since. Inoue stands just over 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 64-inch reach. He possesses just a small fraction of his brother’s power though with a current knockout ratio of just 18.8 per cent.
Inoue has never fought a pro with a losing record and beat Mark Anthony Geraldo by unanimous decision in 2015 for the vacant OPBF Super Flyweight Title. He then defended it twice before moving up in weight. He captured the WBC interim world Bantamweight Title in 2018 by beating Tasala Salapat by unanimous decision.
His lone loss came by unanimous decision to Nordine Oubaali in a shot at the WBC Bantamweight Title in November, 2019 on the undercard of the first Inoue vs Donaire fight. He then beat Keita Kurihara for the OPBF Bantamweight Belt in his next outing in 2021 via a nine-round technical decision. Inoue has a decent chin but was dropped by Froilan Saludar in the first round in 2016. He also enjoyed a fine amateur career and boxed at the 2011 World Junior Championships in Kazakhstan.
Furahashi is a 34-year-old who enters the ring with a 28-8-2 record with 16 Ko’s and has boxed 230 rounds since making his pro debut back in 2007. He’s 5-feet-5-inches tall with an unlisted each so has a minimal half-inch edge in height on Inoue. Furuhashi has lost eight fights but is pretty durable as he’s been stopped just once, by Yasutaka Ishimoto in the 10th round in 2016 in a shot at the Japanese Super Bantamweight title.
Furuhashi has fought strictly local Asian opponents and has fought just once outside of his Japanese homeland, with one bout coming in Vietnam. He won the vacant OPBF Silver Super Bantamweight Title in 2018 when he stopped Yutthichai Wannawong in the third round. He then captured the Japanese Title by halting Yusaku Kuga in the ninth round in January, 2021 and he’s defended it twice. As far as power goes, it’s pretty average as his current knockout ratio stands at 42.1 per cent.
Prediction…
Furuhashi has more power and a solid chin, but Inoue is a fine boxer in his own right and is eight years younger. I’m expecting Furuhashi to give it a great shot in an entertaining fight, but I think he will come up just short while Inoue leaves the ring with both belts over his shoulder.
Inoue’s age and boxing skills should help him earn a win.
Play: Inoue – 800 @ BetOnline.ag
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Gakuya Furuhashi betting • Takuma Inoue betting