Krush Triple Final Results: Three Champions Crowned, Upsets Abound

Japanese kickboxing got a real boost as the Krush Triple Final event took place in Tokyo on Saturday. The event, which crowned promotional champions at the 63 kg., 60 kg., and 55 kg. weight limits, featured a number of established veterans and touted prospects in both tournament and non-tournament bouts. The main attraction was surely the 63 kg. tournament finals, as Koya Urabe looked to further solidify himself as the 63 kg. kingpin, having defeated Tetsuya Yamato just a couple bouts ago. Masaaki Noiri and Ryuya Kusakabe were the biggest names in the 60 kg. and 55 kg. fields respectively, though they certainly had stiff competition to look forward to. The biggest non-tournament bout of the evening pitted mixed martial arts veteran Akihiro Gono against K-1 World MAX 2009 semifinalist Yuya Yamamoto.

The first 63 kg. semifinal saw Kizaemon Saiga matched up with Ryuji Kajiwara. Kajiwara seems to have been just one step ahead of the young Saiga in the bout, ultimately securing a decision victory over the K-1 63 kg. Japan Tournament semifinalist. Tournament favorite Koya Urabe also took a decision victory in the semifinal round, reportedly employing effective defense en route to a clear win over Takuya Shirahama.

It was the 63 kg. final which offered the biggest surprise of the evening. While the bout is reported to have been well fought, Ryuji Kajiwara used an effective jab and managed to floor Koya Urabe in the second round en route to a majority decision victory. The 34-year-old Kajiwara, who seems to have expressed a desire to face Tetsuya Yamato after the bout, became champion following scorecards which read 29-28, 30-28, and 28-28.

The first 60 kg. semifinal saw 2009 K-1 Koshien 60 kg. champion Masaaki Noiri matched up with Yuji Takeuchi. The bout, which by all reports seems to have been action-packed, was ultimately decided as Takeuchi floored the young Noiri with a left hook late in the final round. The other 60 kg. semifinal saw Hirotaka Urabe defeat Dynamite Yuta via majority decision, scorecards reading 30-29, 29-28, 30-30.

Hirotaka Urabe did his best to come from out the shadow of his brother Koya in the 60 kg. final. Yuji Takeuchi, having already managed to spoil the anticipated run of Masaaki Noiri, was quickly sent packing by Urabe, who landed a head kick early in the first round to secure Krush's 60 kg. title.

The first 55 kg. semifinal bout, which pitted Shota Takiya against KENJI, ended up going to an extension round before a winner was declared. Takiya ultimately prevailed in the battle of the two 22-year-old fighters, advancing to the tournament final against the winner of the bout between Ryuya Kusakabe and Hiroaki Mizuhara. It was to be Ryuya Kusakabe that Takiya would meet in the final, as Kusakabe secured a decision victory over Mizuhara with scorecards of 30-29, 30-29, and 30-28.

With the semifinals complete, Ryuya Kusakabe was well on the way to completing his expected tournament win. The young Shootboxing champion entered the tournament the favorite and delivered back in December in an absolute slugfest against Nobuchiko Terado. While Shota Takiya did not have the same buzz as his 18-year-old opponent, both fighters cut their teeth on the K-1 Koshien circuit in 2008 and 2009. Kusakabe and Takiya battled it out for two rounds in the final bout before it suddenly ended in the third. When the dust settled, the 55 kg. title did not belong to Kusakabe, as reports indicate that the Shootboxing champion was floored by Takiya, who then swarmed his opponent and finished the bout with a head kick.

Akihiro Gono and Yuya Yamamoto competed in one of the evening's non-tournament bouts, the two fighters exchanging blows over the course of three rounds. Gono, who entered the bout having been the only fighter failing to make weight, was simply unable to overcome the offensive prowess of Yamamoto, the latter employing body shots and leg kicks effectively en route to a decision win.