Eduardo Nunez W12 Masanori Rikiishi... Eduardo Nunez of Mexico beat Masanori Rikiishi to claim the vacant IBF junior lightweight title over twelve rounds in Yokohama, Japan. Nunez picked up the unanimous decision win with the scorecards reading 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111. Nunez is now 28-1 with 27 KOs, meaning this was the first fight he won by decision.  The title was vacated by Anthony Cacace, who chose to fight former featherweight titlist Leigh Wood rather than Nunez. It has been a good week for Mexican boxing, as Willibaldo Garcia won a 155-pound title a few days ago,

From the opening bell, the Mexican fought off the front foot while Rikiishi (16-2) looked to be evasive and counter Nunez as he charged forward. The first big shot that landed came in the first round as a right hand from Nunez threw Rikiishi’s head back. But the Japanese man connected with a couple of cuffing counter right hooks of his own.

Rikiishi struggled with Nunez's pressure and volume punching but was competitive in every round, landing a flurry of punches to end the third. But as the fight progressed and his feet slowed, Rikiishi found himself on the end of more and more combinations to the head and body. The early investment in the body from Nunez paid dividends as Rikiishi looked visibly tired, and the power in his punches was all but gone. This opened the door for Nunez to shift up a gear and land even more on the inside.

The highlight of the fight came in the opening of the tenth round when Nunez landed a perfectly timed overhand right to send Rikiishi tumbling to the ropes, pursued by an energized Nunez who saw an opportunity to end the fight early.

Rikiishi remained in survival mode for the rest of the round, doing just enough to weather the storm and to get to the championship rounds. But towards the end, Rikiishi knew he needed a stoppage to win the fight and gave everything to return fire against the relentless Nunez. He  could not match the work rate of the Mexican who was glued to his chest, landing hooks and right hands at will. The final round was as frantic as the first and Nunez was just as explosive, trading blows with a desperate Rikiishi who did not have enough firepower to get the finish he needed.