Championship night at Korakuen Hall: Honoka Kano and Terumi Nuki retain OPBF titles

The emblematic Korakuen Hall in Japan was the stage for a vibrant day of women’s boxing this April 7, 2026,

From the promotion of SHINSEI. The evening was marked by the consolidation of two Japanese champions who managed to defend their crowns from the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) against high-level challengers.

In the atomweight division, champion Honoka Kano gave a masterclass in boxing and forcefulness by defeating the number 14 ranked Komi Sato by unanimous decision.

Kano took absolute control of the fight early on, managing to send her opponent to the canvas in the third round with a precise blow that set the pace for the rest of the contest.

At the end of the eight rounds, judges Yoshikazu Furuta, Tetsuya Iida, and Nobuto Ikehara delivered identical scorecards of 80-71, all in favor of Kano.

With this triumph, the champion achieves her third successful defense of the OPBF title, reaffirming herself as the queen of the category.

In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Terumi Nuki retained her crown in an extremely close and hard-fought encounter against the number one challenger, Nana Yamashita.

The bout was a constant strategic battle that kept fans on the edge of their seats due to the parity of strength.

After an intense dispute, the result was decided by split decision. While one judge saw Yamashita as the winner, the other two judges favored the aggressiveness and impacts of the champion with cards of 75-77, 77-75, and 75-77.

With this narrow victory, Nuki maintains her status as champion and overcomes the toughest test of her reign to date.