27, 2022. Kaneko faced Yuto Kuroda in the tournament quarterfinals. He won the fight by a third-round knockout. Kaneko first knocked Kuroda down with a counter left hook early in the last round of the bout, before knocking him out with a right straight at the 2:17 minute mark of the third round. Kaneko advanced to the tournament semifinals, where he faced the reigning Krush Super Bantamweight (-55kg) champion Riamu Sera. He was awarded the automatic technical knockout victory, after knocking Riamu down twice by the 2:23 minute mark. Kaneko first knocked Riamu down with a short left hook, before knocking him down a second time with a low kick. Kaneko faced Masashi Kumura in the finals of the one-day tournament. The bout was a rematch of their March 22, 2020 meeting, which Kumura won by majority decision. Kaneko was more successful in the rematch, winning the fight by majority decision. He knocked Kumura down with a combination of punches in the second round, which proved the pivotal moment of the fight, as it edged the scorecards in his favor. Title reign Kaneko was booked to face the reigning RISE Bantamweight champion Masahiko Suzuki in a non-title bout on June 19, 2022. The bout was scheduled for the undercard of The Match 2022, a RISE and K-1 cross-promotional event, headlined by Takeru Segawa and Tenshin Nasukawa. The event was broadcast by Abema TV as a pay per view. He failed to successfully implement his patented pressure game and lost the fight by majority decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 30–28 and 30–29 for Suzuki, while the third judge scored the bout as an even 29–29 draw. Kaneko faced Jordan Swinton, the first foreign opponent of his professional career, at K-1 World GP 2022 Yokohamatsuri on September 11, 2022. He won the fight by technical knockout 40 seconds into the opening round. Kaneko knocked Swinton down with a right straight as soon as the bout started, before flooring him with a strike to the body, which left his opponent unable to rise from the canvas. Kaneko next faced Kiriluang Chor.Hapayak at K-1 World GP 2022 in Osaka on December 3, 2022. HE won the fight by a third-round knockout. Kaneko made his first K-1 Super Bantamweight Championship defense against the former two-weight Lumpinee Boxing Stadium champion Kompetch Sitsarawatsuer at K-1 World GP 2023: K'Festa 6 on March 12, 2023.