To quote one of the actors portraying a boxing commentator in one of the beloved ‘Rocky’ movies – “where does he get that stamina!?”
The exact same question could so easily be asked of the latest Japanese warrior to add so much raw excitement to the bantamweight division (the 118 and 122 pound divisions really being dominated by Japanese fighting talent right now) – this being 28 year old Seiya Tsutsumi. As anyone who saw yesterday’s truly thrilling fight between challenger Tsutsumi and defending WBA bantamweight champ Takuma Inoue knows, Tsutsumi has got some incredible engine. While this fighter’s punch output borders in the insane!
Over the course of 12 rounds, most of them fought at a non-stop rate, with Inoue looking at times to be close to being overwhelmed, Tsutsumi threw leather. Boy, did he throw some leather. With his relentless, all-action style, the man born on Christmas Eve in 1995 is a fighter no fan could possibly fail to enjoy seeing rumble. After going pro in May of 2018, and with him now just 12-0-2(8), Tsutsumi has nevertheless given us two mini-classics already.
Yesterday’s fight has already been picked as a potential FOTY by RingTV.com, and with darn good reason, while back in December of last year, Tsutsumi waged war with Kazuki Anaguchi. This incredible fight, crammed full of knockdowns and two-way action, sadly ended in tragedy, as Anaguchi, who managed to hang tough to the very end, lost his life in hospital six weeks later.
Since then, Tsutsumi has scored a 4th round KO win over Weerawat Noolae, and he now holds that WBA belt at 118 pounds. And the future looks bright for the newly crowned champ. There is, already, talk of Tsutsumi possibly fighting Junto Nakatani (who must come through okay later today, against Petch Sor Chitpattana in defence of his WBC bantamweight title; Chitpattana also known as Petch CP Freshmart, the Thai southpaw currently holding a quite amazing 72-1(51) record).
Prior to yesterday’s upset in Tokyo, there was much talk of Nakatani, 28-0(21) and a three-weight champion, facing Takuma Inoue as a precursor to that simply fascinating all-Japanese super-fight between Nakatani and “Monster” Naoya Inoue. Now, there is a good chance Tsutsumi could face Nakatani next year. And imagine what a fight that could be. While it’s quite mind-boggling to wonder what would happen if Tsutsumi fought Nakatani and beat him, and if he, Tsutsumi, could then move up in weight and fight “The Monster.” Really, the possibilities seem endless here.
Nakatani, a southpaw with immense skill, is already on a few pound-for-pound lists, and he is seen by many as the biggest threat to “Monster” Inoue and his unbeaten record. But Tsutsumi showed against Takuma Inoue that he is some force of nature, a seemingly tireless, unstoppable force of nature that can overwhelm even the best fighters, and maybe he would be all kinds of wrong for Nakatani. No, Takuma Inoue is no Junto Nakatani, but Tsutsumi has to be given a real chance against absolutely anyone he fights.
Let’s see how Nakatani gets on today against Freshmart, but already, just a day after his most recent fight, fans who know the deal with Tsutsumi cannot wait to see his next fight. Not many fighters can mount as much sheer, non-stop, agonisingly relentless pressure as this guy can. And Tsutsumi is so much fun to watch as a result of his maximum overdrive engine and his crazy punch output.
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