Kai Watanabe and Riku Kitani meet in the ¥10 million super-featherweight final on Dec. 3 at Korakuen Hall, on a card with three regional title fights.
What we know
- The Watanabe vs. Kitani final is scheduled for eight rounds and is a Japanese super-featherweight title eliminator, not a title fight.
- Kitani reached the final on the tournament's preference-point provision after a split draw with Keisuke Matsumoto in the semifinal.
- Nakajima and Owan fight for the vacant OPBF featherweight title over 10 rounds.
- OPBF middleweight champion Ha So Baek defends against Mikio Sakai over 10 rounds.
- OPBF minimumweight titleholder Takero Kitano faces WBO Asia-Pacific champion Joseph Sumabong over 10 rounds, a rematch of Sumabong's October 2025 unanimous-decision win.
- Kotaro Sekine meets Shota Tashita in an eight-round Japanese super-lightweight title eliminator on the undercard.
- Ticket sales for Phoenix Battle 164 are still to be announced.
The December card is built around a final that decides a ¥10 million prize and sets up a shot at a domestic belt. Kai Watanabe and Riku Kitani meet over eight rounds in the super-featherweight tournament final. It is a Japanese title eliminator, so the winner earns the right to chase the championship rather than fighting for it on the night.
The two took different routes. Watanabe stopped Rentaro Kimura 36 seconds into the second round of their semifinal on Sept. 8, with two knockdowns before the referee stepped in. Kitani had a harder path: his semifinal with Keisuke Matsumoto ended in a split draw, and the tournament's preference-point provision sent him through. He is listed at 11 wins, three losses and one draw. Both enter the final as Japan's top two ranked super-featherweights, Watanabe first and Kitani second.
The supporting championship fights are all over 10 rounds. Kazuki Nakajima, the OPBF's fourth-ranked contender, and Ryuto Owan, ranked third, fight for the vacant OPBF featherweight belt. At middleweight, Ha So Baek defends the OPBF title he won by stopping Riku Kunimoto in the seventh round in April, facing Mikio Sakai.
The minimumweight bout is a rematch with a twist. Joseph Sumabong beat Takero Kitano by unanimous decision in Tokyo in October 2025 for the WBO Asia-Pacific title. Sumabong still holds that belt, while Kitano now brings the OPBF title, so the winner takes both regional belts.
The undercard has Kotaro Sekine against Shota Tashita, an eight-round Japanese super-lightweight title eliminator, and a four-round minimumweight bout between Ryusho Kawaminami and Kota Naruoka. Doors open at and the first bell is at . Ticket sales are still to be announced.
The two took different routes. Watanabe stopped Rentaro Kimura 36 seconds into the second round of their semifinal on Sept. 8, with two knockdowns before the referee stepped in. Kitani had a harder path: his semifinal with Keisuke Matsumoto ended in a split draw, and the tournament's preference-point provision sent him through. He is listed at 11 wins, three losses and one draw. Both enter the final as Japan's top two ranked super-featherweights, Watanabe first and Kitani second.
The supporting championship fights are all over 10 rounds. Kazuki Nakajima, the OPBF's fourth-ranked contender, and Ryuto Owan, ranked third, fight for the vacant OPBF featherweight belt. At middleweight, Ha So Baek defends the OPBF title he won by stopping Riku Kunimoto in the seventh round in April, facing Mikio Sakai.
The minimumweight bout is a rematch with a twist. Joseph Sumabong beat Takero Kitano by unanimous decision in Tokyo in October 2025 for the WBO Asia-Pacific title. Sumabong still holds that belt, while Kitano now brings the OPBF title, so the winner takes both regional belts.
The undercard has Kotaro Sekine against Shota Tashita, an eight-round Japanese super-lightweight title eliminator, and a four-round minimumweight bout between Ryusho Kawaminami and Kota Naruoka. Doors open at and the first bell is at . Ticket sales are still to be announced.
- Summary
- Kai Watanabe and Riku Kitani meet in the ¥10 million super-featherweight final on Dec. 3 at Korakuen Hall, on a card with three regional title fights.
- Key points (one per line)
- Watanabe vs. Kitani is an eight-round tournament final and Japanese title eliminator at Korakuen Hall on Dec. 3.
Nakajima vs. Owan is for the vacant OPBF featherweight belt; Baek defends the OPBF middleweight title against Sakai.
Kitano vs. Sumabong is a rematch of Sumabong's October 2025 decision win, now with both regional minimumweight belts at stake.
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- MiddleEasy | https://middleeasy.com/boxing/watanabe-kitani-phoenix-battle164-december3-regional-title-lineup/
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MiddleEasySummarized with AI from the sources above. Read the originals for the full story.
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