Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation bantamweight champion Keita Kurihara of Ichiriki Boxing Gym eked out an eight-round split decision over 10th-ranked Philippine bantamweight Renan Portes in a nontitle fight on July 22 in Tokyo.
After a hard-fought bout at Korakuen Hall, two of the three judges scored the fight 78-74 for the 31-year-old Kurihara while the remaining one had it 78-74 for the 32-year-old Portes.
With the win, Kurihara, ranked eighth in the division by the World Boxing Council and ninth by the International Boxing Federation, improved his record to 19 wins, including 16 knockouts, against eight losses and a draw, while Portes fell to a 13-17 win-loss tally with six KOs.
