U-Next Boxing has announced a March 15th show in Yokohama highlighted by two true title fights and a final eliminator featuring a familiar face.
The main event sees Anthony Olascuaga (11-1, 8 KO) defend his WBO flyweight belt against OPBF champ Jukiya Iimura (9-1, 2 KO). There were rumblings of a three-belt unification between Olascuaga and Ricardo Sandoval, but the WBC put the kibosh on that by ordering Sandoval to fight Galal Yafai. He’ll instead fight no. 11 Iimura, who enters the ring on a six-fight winning streak and recently avenged the only defeat of his pro career with a decision over Esneth Domingo.
Nonito Donaire (43-9, 28 KO), last seen falling just short against WBA champ Seiya Tsutsumi in December, faces knockout artist Riku Masuda (9-1, 8 KO) in a final eliminator. Masuda, 15 years Donaire’s junior, only tasted defeat in his fourth pro fight against Tsutsumi.
Former minimumweight king Knockout CP Freshmart (29-1, 11 KO) makes his inaugural light flyweight title defense against another former champ in Shokichi Iwata (15-2, 12 KO), who lost his belt to the resurgent Rene Santiago last year. I want to highlight the WBC screwing Carlos Canizales here, as they stripped the Venezuelan when geopolitical circumstances left him unable to make a voluntary defense against Knockout last December and allowed the Thai to win the belt against last-second replacement Junior Zarate.
Finally, secondary WBA minimumweight champion Ryusei Matsumoto (7-0, 4 KO) defends his belt in a rematch with Yuni Takada (16-9-3, 6 KO). Matsumoto won their first meeting by technical decision on last Septembers Inoue vs Akhmadaliev show.
