Ha So Baek Unseats Riku Kunimoto to Capture OPBF Middleweight Title

The middleweight landscape in Asia and the Pacific took an unexpected turn this Sunday, April 12, 2026, following a dominant performance by Mongolian fighter Ha So Baek, who was crowned the new Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) Middleweight Champion.

In the main event of the card presented by MUTO Promotions at the Sumiyoshi Kumin Center, Baek pulled off an upset by stopping the now former Japanese champion, Riku Kunimoto.

The bout lived up to the power-punching expectations of the middleweight division. Kunimoto attempted to assert his home-ring advantage and pace from the opening bell, but he was met by a Mongolian challenger determined to make history. The climax arrived in the seventh round when a precise offensive surge from Baek halted the action at the 2:30 mark, forcing referee Nobuto Ikehara to declare a TKO.

With this victory, Ha So Baek takes the green belt to Mongolia, establishing himself as one of the most dangerous emerging figures in the region at 160 pounds.