Takuma Inoue took charge of his older brothers former world title in Japan this morning, defeating Liborio Solis for the bantamweight world championship.
Inoue claimed one of the four titles his brother, Naoya Inoue, recently vacated to keep the family name at the top of the division.
Inoue defeated the former super flyweight world champion on the judges scorecards, they read; 116-112, 117-111 and 118-110 in favour of the Japanese.
Inoue had some struggle to find his rhythm in the opening rounds, but landed flush on Solis’s temple in round 2. The referee had a tough nights work, having to constantly break the pair up during regular clinches.
Round 3 saw an uptick in activity from Inoue, in round 4 saw that activity slow down due to Solis’s pressure. Inoue was caught with an elbow in the 5th, but he dealt with it well.
Inoue controlled Solis in the later half of the world title fight, rounds 8 and 10 seeing high-quality counterpunching skills from Inoue.
Solis grew frustrated and slightly more frantic in the closing rounds, unhappy at not being able to work on the inside. Inoue’s was the cleaner puncher in this one, the scorecards being a fair reflection of the fight.
"It's such a relief to win this title," Inoue said in the ring. "This is special because it is a title that my brother used to own. As the younger brother of Naoya Inoue, I have to carry that legacy. I will step forward and honour the family name.”
Inoue’s record advanced to 18-1 (4KOs), with Solis moving to 35-7-1 (16KOs) in a failed attempt to become a two-time world champion.
