Reito Tsutsumi got the stoppage in four, but anyone who’s spent time in a gym knows this wasn’t a clean night at the office. It was a learning fight. The kind that exposes habits before it rewards talent.
From the opening bell, Quintana did what a bigger, rougher opponent is supposed to do. He closed distance early, leaned his weight in, and made Tsutsumi fight in the pocket instead of at range. Tsutsumi has fast hands and good timing, but his feet weren’t always in sync. He gave ground in straight lines, reset late, and allowed Quintana to step into his chest more than he should have.
The first two rounds were competitive because of that. Tsutsumi landed the sharper shots, but Quintana’s pressure made those moments costly. He dug to the body, bumped him off balance, and forced exchanges instead of letting Tsutsumi pick shots. That’s physical insistence, and it worked in spots.
By the third, Tsutsumi started adjusting. He shortened his punches, stopped admiring his work, and began catching Quintana on the entry. The left hand down the pipe became the key. You could see Quintana slowing, his feet squaring up, his attacks coming in straight lines. Once that happened, the fight tilted.
The knockdown in the fourth wasn’t about power. It came from timing and positioning. Quintana stepped in heavy, Tsutsumi met him clean, and that was enough. When the follow-up landed, Quintana didn’t protest the stoppage because his legs were gone.
Still, this wasn’t a dominant performance. Tsutsumi showed heart and composure, but also showed that pressure fighters with discipline can make him uncomfortable. His defense relies too much on reaction instead of anticipation. That’s fine at this level, but it tightens the margin as the competition improves.
This win moves him forward, but it also draws a line in the sand. If he wants to climb, he has to clean up the footwork, tighten the exits, and stop letting bigger men walk into his space. Because the next guy won’t miss those openings.