Shimamura's approaches, somehow, also surprise the champion. Instead of dipping and feinting wildly, Shimamura stays tall, shoulders square, jabbing to Yanagimoto's chest, not his head.
The punches aren't heavy, but they're precise, placed to disrupt rhythm rather than score damage.
"Oh?" one commentator murmurs. "Shimamura starting orthodox tonight."
Yanagimoto probes with a straight left, but Shimamura slides just outside the line, answers with a short right to the body. Nothing flashy. Nothing reckless.
The first real exchange comes midway through the round.
Yanagimoto steps in behind a right jab and left cross combination. Shimamura reads it, slips left, fires a compact counter right that snaps Yanagimoto's head just enough to draw a reaction from the crowd.
Not loud. But attentive.
"Clean counter by the challenger," the commentator notes. "He's not giving Yanagimoto the chaos he's used to."
