Takuma Inoue walks to the ring, followed by his brother Naoya. (Photo by Naoki Fukuda)
Seven title fights come to Japan over a two-day span.
The first leg will see Takuma Inoue in the first defense of his WBA bantamweight title. He will face compatriot Seiya Tsutsumi at the top of an October 13 title fight four-header from Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The will be broadcast live on ESPN+ in the US
Inoue-Tsutsumi and the rest of the show were confirmed at a press conference on Thursday in Tokyo, hosted by Mr. Honda’s Target Promotions. The night’s co-feature pits former champions Kenshiro Teraji and Cristofer Rosales in a vacant WBC flyweight title fight. The winner claims the belt recently vacated by Julio Cesar Martinez, albeit under questionable circumstances.
Also on the show:
- Okayama’s Seigo Yuri Akui (20-2-1, 11 KOs) defends his WBA flyweight title against Thailand’s Thananchai Charunphak (25-1, 15 KOs)
- Tokyo’s Shokichi Iwata (13-1, 10 KOs) and Spain’s Jairo Noriega (14-0, 3 KOs) meet for the vacant WBO junior flyweight title.
Inoue (20-1, 5 KOs) is attempting the third defense of the WBA 118-pound title he claimed last April. He was the first benefactor after the divisional departure of older brother and now four-division champion Naoya Inoue, who vacated all four bantamweight titles.
Takuma Inoue slowly carved his own name. The Ring’s no. 3-rated bantamweight impressed in a ninth-round knockout of former 115-pound titlist Jerwin Ancajas on Feb. 24 at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo. He then returned just ten weeks later to join Naoya on the May 6 show at Tokyo Dome. His appearance resulted in a twelve round victory over compatriot Sho Ishida.
Tsutsumi (11-0-2, 8 KOs) is challenging for his first major title. It comes amid a remarkable career rebound after a tragedy in the ring.
While his record is perfect, Tsutsumi was forced to take the damage done to Kazuki Anaguchi. Tsutsumi won their brutal ten-round slugfest last December 26 by unanimous decision. Anaguchi never recovered from brain injuries sustained in the fight and died in February.
Tsutsumi bravely moved forward with his career. He scored a knockout of Weerawat Noolae in the fourth round on July 7 at Kokugikan.
Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs) has enjoyed two separate WBC 108-pound titles. The 32-year-old from Kyoto, Japan, became The Ring and unified WBC/WBA champion in November 2022 after a seventh-round knockout of undefeated compatriot Hiroto Kyoguchi.
The win marked the first defense of his second title reign after reclaiming the belt earlier that year. Teraji scored an eleventh-round knockout against Masamichi Yabuki in their tremendous Sept. 2021 slugfest suffered. The fight was delayed by two weeks when Teraji previously tested positive for Covid.
A much healthier version of the everyday fighter knocked out Yabuki in three rounds in their March 2022 rematch. Three defenses followed, including a narrow points victory over Carlos Canizales (26-2-1, 19 KOs) on Jan. 23 in Osaka. Their 12-round fight remains a contender for 2023’s Fight of the Year.
The past several fights for Teraji have all struggled to make weight. He has yet to miss the 108-pound mark, but has often noted that he would only stay put if he could unify further.
His last defense came in a Fight of the Year-level majority decision win over Carlos Canizales (27-2-1, 19 KOs) on Jan. 23 in Osaka. Teraji ran his record to 14-1 (9 KOs) in major title fights.
Nicaragua’s Rosales (36-7, 22 KOs) previously held the very title on the line in his fight.
He claimed the title in Japan when he defeated Daigo Higa in April 2018. Only one defense followed before he lost to Charlie Edwards later that December. A second title bid saw Rosales get a ninth-round knockout of Julio Cesar Martinez in December 2019.
Martinez made seven successful saves before vacating earlier this year. However, it was later learned that he had tested positive for banned diuretics and was suspended for the rest of 2024.
Rosales has won five in a row since a questionable loss to Angel Ayala in their April 2022 IBF title eliminator.
