By Napoleon Fly
03/12/2025
Where To Watch: 📺 ESPN+, BrunchBoxing.com (Live Round by Round Coverage)
Programming Note: Telecast begins at 5 AM EST, live and exclusively on ESPN+.
The Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena in Tokyo, Japan host a night of champions as Top Rank Boxing and Teiken Promotions present championship tripleheader.
In the main event of the evening, WBC Flyweight Champion Kenshiro Teraji takes on WBA Flyweight Champion Seigo Yuri Akui in a highly anticipated flyweight title unification bout.
In the co-main event, exciting WBO Flyweight Champion Anthony Olascuaga defends his title against former two-division champion Hiroto Kyoguchi.
Opening the ESPN+ telecast is a WBO Junior Flyweight Championship bout as Shokichi Iwata defends his title against former title challenger Rene Santiago.
Also of note, Japanese amateur standout Tomoya Tsuboi will be making his debut at bantamweight against journeyman Boonrueang Phayom (14-3-0, 14 KOs).
Brunch Boxing previews Thursday’s action.
Kenshiro “The Amazing Boy” Teraji (24-1-0, 15 KOs) vs. Seigo Yuri Akui (21-2-1, 11 KOs)
What’s At Stake: Teraji’s WBC Flyweight Championship and Akui’s WBA Flyweight Championship
Analysis: Teraji looks to become a two-division unified champ, having won the WBC title against Cristofer Rosales last October. Akui seeks to make a third defense of his WBA title, which he won controversially against Artem Dalakian and defended twice against Thananchai Charunphak and Taku Kuwahara. Both have previous sparring experience against the other.
The winner will have many options in the red hot flyweight division, including WBC mandatory Francisco Rodriguez Jr, WBC interim champ Galal Yafai, the winner of the IBF title fight between Angel Ayala Lardizabal/Masamichi Yabuki, the winner of the WBO title fight between Anthony Olascuaga/Hiroto Kyoguchi or the soon to be determined WBA mandatory.
Teraji will want to jab and move to force Akui to reset and shut down Akui’s offense. Akui will the shorter and slower man in the ring, so Teraji will want to maximize these advantages, keep him on the end of his punches, and work the body with straight rights.
Akui will want to close the distance and cut the ring off to shut down Teraji’s movement. Additionally, Akui will need to effectively time Teraji’s jab, as it’s the basis of most of Teraji’s offense. This will be difficult, but disciplined pressure can take Akui to victory.
Akui is often flat footed and has been outboxed in several fights. While Akui showed that he can adjust and pressure a longer backfoot boxer versus Charunphak, Teraji is of an entirely different class to Charunphak, and even versus Charunphak, Akui showed moments of vulnerability, specifically a late-round body shot that hurt Akui. This isn’t to say that Akui has no chance, he’s a gritty, physical fighter with underrated power and a surprising amount of strength, but ultimately I don’t see much in the way of a pathway to victory for him.
Gambling Odds
Teraji: -480 ML, -115 KO/TKO, +210 Decision.
Akui: +320 ML, +900 KO/TKO, +500 Decision.
Final Thoughts: Expect Teraji to outclass Akui and win a clear decision or even collect a late stoppage.
Prediction: Teraji Decision
Anthony “Princesa” Olascuaga (8-1-0, 6 KOs) vs. Hiroto Kyoguchi (19-2-0, 12 KOs)
What’s At Stake: Olascuaga’s WBO Flyweight Championship
Analysis: Olascuaga is making the second defense of his WBO title, which he won by spectacular knockout against Riku Kano in 2024 and defended once via an awkward cuts induced first round TKO against Jonathan Gonzalez. Kyoguchi hopes to become a three division champ and reset his career after going 1-1 against Vince Paras in his last two fights.
The winner will likely challenge the Teraji/Akui winner for the WBA/WBC belt in a three-belt unification. Both have lost to Teraji in the past, making the prospects for revenge particularly attractive. Should a fight with Teraji/Akui not materialize, the winner could also pursue a unification with the winner of the Yabuki/Ayala IBF title fight.
Olascuaga enjoys several advantages over Kyoguchi, including power, size and a level of offensive creativity that Kyoguchi doesn’t have. Olascuaga will want to push forward and and mix his shots up to penetrate Kyoguchi’s guard.
Kyoguchi will need to capitalize on Olascuaga’s tendency to throw wide looping shots to land counter shots (particularly uppercuts) to make Olascuaga hesitant. Kyoguchi showed hints of a back foot game at times versus Paras that could come in handy.
This fight promises to be an exciting shoot out between a decorated veteran and a young champ. Kyoguchi is a very good inside fighter, and could provide some problems to Olascuaga if he can get to work there, but unfortunately he’s at a substantial physical disadvantage. Olascuaga is a younger, fresher, harder hitting fighter with less career damage and much quicker hands. This looks to have the trappings of an exciting but brief firefight where both get hurt.
Gambling Odds
Olascuaga: -460 ML, -140 KO/TKO, +270 Decision.
Kyoguchi: +310 ML, +650 KO/TKO, +600 Decision.
Final Thoughts: Kyoguchi will try to mix up the distance and smother Olascuaga on the inside, but Olascuaga’s explosive shots and power will prevail, securing him an eye-popping KO.
Prediction: Olascuaga KO/TKO
Shokichi Iwata (14-1-0, 11 KOs) vs Rene “Chulo” Santiago (13-4-0, 9 KOs)
What’s At Stake: Iwata’s WBO Junior Flyweight Championship
Analysis: Rumors were abound that Iwata would face IBF light flyweight champ Masamichi Yabuki in a unification, but Yabuki decided instead to move up to flyweight to challenge IBF champ Angel Ayala Lardizabal. As a result, the WBO named Santiago as Iwata’s mandatory, citing his superior level of competition to then #1 WBO contender Regie Suganob.
The winner will be inheriting a dead light flyweight division, but even with Yabuki moving up, fights can be made with #1 ranked WBO contender Regie Suganob, WBA champ Erick Rosa, or the Carlos Canizales/Panya Pradabsri rematch winner for the WBC title.
Iwata will want to close the distance, get in Santiago’s face and mug him to the greatest degree possible. Santiago isn’t a bad stylist, and can box at range but he will be at a substantial disadvantage in terms of power and physicality.
Santiago will want to keep the fight long, boxing and moving on the backfoot while avoiding Iwata’s low output power punches. Taking advantages of wide shots thrown by Iwata to frustrate him will also help Santiago win, as well as jabbing consistently.
This fight will likely be a boring one and frankly I don’t give Santiago much of a change. Iwata’s fight with Jonathan Gonzalez showed that he can be frustrated and outboxed for large portions of a fight, but Santiago isn’t necessarily as clever or athletic of a boxer as Gonzalez was (and I thought Gonzalez lost to Iwata anyhow). I expect Iwata will lose a few of the early rounds, and possibly look quite bad in losing them, but over the course of the fight he will adjust sufficiently that his power and physicality will win him a late KO/TKO victory of an increasingly exhausted and battered Santiago.
Gambling Odds
Iwata: -950 ML, -145 KO/TKO, +190 Decision
Santiago: +500 ML, +900 KO/TKO, +1000 Decision.
Final Thoughts: Santiago isn’t a very deserving contender, and should lose clearly to Iwata.
Prediction: Iwata KO/TKO
Subscribe to the Brunch Boxing website, Twitter and Podcast for more updates and in-depth coverage of the world of boxing in and out of the ring.
Brunch Boxing Support Links:
Yorumlar