By Joe Koizumi
Photos By Naoki Fukuda
Japan might be a center of small class boxing. Ohashi Promotions announced on Tuesday a world title twinbill at Yokohama Buntai (Cultural Gymnasium) on September 2. WBA#2 Takeshi Ishii (11-1, 6 KOs) will square off against ex-WBO ruler Wilfredo Mendez (20-3-2, 6 KOs), Puerto Rico, in quest of the vacant WBA minimumweight belt. Also, fast-rising unbeaten prospect WBA#1 Daiya Kira (4-0, 3 KOs; amateur 46-6, 6 stoppages) will face #2 Carlos Canizalez (28-3-1, 26 KOs), Venezuela, for the vacant WBA light flyweight championship.
Should Kira acquire the belt in his fifth pro bout, he will tie the national record of Koei Tanaka gaining the WBO 105-pound title in 2015. Ishii, formerly a kick-boxer, will follow the footstep of Yoshiki Takei, also a kick-boxing ex-champ, acquiring the WBO 118-pound throne.
Also, former amateur prodigy Yuga Fujiki (1-0, 1 KO; amateur 49-0) will appear in his second pro bout against Filipino Jufel Salina over eight rounds on the undercard. We hope to watch the 18-year-ld prospect’s progress.
The post Ishii, Mendez To Collide For Vacant WBA 105lb Belt appeared first on FightNews.
