WBC STATISTICS

WBC Vacant Flyweight World Championship
October 13, 2024 / Tokyo, Japan / Ariake Arena

TEIKEN PROMOTIONS PRESENTS:

KENSHIRO “The Amazing Boy” TERAJI (Japan)

· Ranked WBC No. 1 at Flyweight
· Former two-time WBC Light Flyweight World Champion, 12 Title Defenses
Age: 32 / Date of birth: January 6, 1992
Residence: Uji, Kyoto, Japan / Birthplace: Joyo, Kyoto, Japan
Record: 23-1, 14 KOs / Total rounds: 174 / World championship fights: 14-1, 9 KOs
Height: 5’4.5” – 164cm / Reach: 64” – 163cm / Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Takeo Imamura / Trainer: Hisashi Teraji

CRISTOFER “El Latigo” ROSALES (Nicaragua)

· Ranked WBC No. 2 at Flyweight
· Former WBC flyweight world champion
Age: 30 / Date of birth: October 6, 1994
Residence, birthplace: Managua, Nicaragua
Record: 37-6, 22 KOs / Total rounds: 274 / World championship fights: 2-2, 2 KOs
Height: 5’6” – 168cm / Reach: 71” – 180cm/ Stance: Right-handed
Manager, trainer: Eddy Reynoso

WBC FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS

1. Pone Kingpetch (Thai) 1963
2. Hiroyuki Ebihara (Jap) 1963 – 1964
3. Pone Kingpetch (Thai) * 1964 – 1965
4. Salvatore Burruni (Italy) 1965 – 1966
5. Walter McGowan (GB) 1966
6. Chartchai Chionoi (Thai) 1966 – 1969
7. Efren Torres (Mex) 1969 – 1970
8. Chartchai Chionoi (Thai) * 1970
9. Erbito Salavarria (Phil) 1970 – 1971
10. Betulio Gonzalez (Ven) 1972
11. Venice Borkorsor (Thai) 1972 – 1973
12. Betulio Gonzalez (Ven) * 1973 – 1974
13. Shoji Oguma (Jap) 1974 – 1975
14. Miguel Canto (Mex) 1975 – 1979
15. Chan-Hee Park (Kor) 1979 – 1980
16. Shoji Oguma (Japan) * 1980 – 1981
17. Antonio Avelar (Mex) 1981 – 1982
18. Prudencio Cardona (Col) 1982
19. Freddie Castillo (Mex) 1982
20. Eleoncio Mercedes (DR) 1982 – 1983
21. Charlie Magri (GB) 1983
22. Frank Cedeño (Phil) 1983 – 1984
23. Koji Kobayashi (Jap) 1984
24. Gabriel Bernal (Mex) 1984
25. Sot Chitalada (Thai) 1984 – 1988
26. Yong-Kang Kim (Kor) 1988 – 1989
27. Sot Chitalada (Thai) * 1989 – 1991
28. Muangchai Kittikasem (Thai) 1991 – 1992
29. Yuri Arbachakov (Russia) 1992 – 1996
30. Chatchai Sasakul (Thai) 1997 – 1998
31. Manny Pacquiao (Phil) 1998 – 1999
32. Medgoen Singsurat (Thai) 1999 – 2000
33. Malcolm Tunacao (Phil) 2000 – 2001
34. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (Thai) 2001 – 2007
35. Jorge Arce (Mexico) (Interim) 2005 – 2006
36. Daisuke Naito (Japan) 2007 – 2009
37. P. Wonjongkam (Thai) (Interim) * 2009
38. Koki Kameda (Japan) 2009 – 2010
39. Pong. Wonjongkam (Thai) * 2010 – 2012
40. Sonny Boy Jaro (Phil) 2012
41. Toshiyuki Igarashi (Japan) 2012 – 2013
42. Akira Yaegashi (Japan) 2013 – 2014
43. Roman Gonzalez (Nic) 2014 – 2016
44. Juan Hernandez (Mexico) 2017
45. Daigo Higa (Japan) 2017 – 2018
46. Cristofer Rosales (Nic) 2018
47. Charlie Edwards (GB) 2018 – 2019
48. Julio Cesar Martinez (Mexico) 2019 – 2024
*Regained
WBC TOP 10 FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS
1. Miguel Canto (Mexico)
2. Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (Thailand)
3. Chartchai Chionoi (Thailand)
4. Efren Torres (Mexico)
5. Yuri Arbachakov (Russia)
6. Roman Gonzalez (Nicaragua)
7. Sot Chitalada (Thailand)
8. Akira Yaegashi (Japan)
9. Betulio Gonzalez (Venezuela)
10. Shoji Oguma (Japan)

GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE FLYWEIGHT DIVISION IN WBC HISTORY

42 world champions have been recognized by the WBC, of whom only six have regained the title: Pone Kingpetch (Thailand), Chartchai Chionoi (Thailand), Betulio Gonzalez (Venezuela), Shoji Oguma (Japan), Sot Chitalada (Thailand), Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (Thailand).

157 flyweight world championship bouts have been held in WBC history.
MEMORABLE WBC FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS:
May 6, 2023 Julio Cesar Martinez TKO11 Ronal Batista – Zapopan, Jalisco
Dec. 3, 2022 Julio Cesar Martinez W12 Samuel Carmona – Glendale, Arizona
June 26, 2021 Julio Cesar Martinez TKO6 Joel Cordova – Guadalajara, Jalisco
Oct. 23, 2020 Julio Cesar Martinez TKO2 Moises Calleros – Mexico City, Distrito Federal
Dec. 20, 2019 Julio Cesar Martinez TKO9 Cristofer Rosales – Phoenix, Arizona
Dec. 22, 2018 Charlie Edwards W12 Cristofer Rosales – London, England
Apr. 15, 2018 Cristofer Rosales TKO9 Daigo Higa – Kanagawa, Japan
May 20, 2017 Daigo Higa TKO6 Juan Hernandez – Tokyo, Japan
Apr. 23, 2016 Roman Gonzalez W12 McWilliams Arroyo – Inglewood, California
Sep. 5, 2014 Roman Gonzalez TKO9 Akira Yaegashi – Tokyo, Japan
Apr. 8, 2013 Akira Yaegashi W12 Toshiyuki Igarashi – Tokyo, Japan
Mar. 27, 2010 Pongsaklek Wonjongkam W12 Koki Kameda – Tokyo, Japan
Nov. 29, 2009 Koki Kameda W12 Daisuke Naito – Saitama, Japan
July 18, 2007 Daisuke Naito W12 Pongsaklek Wonjongkam – Tokyo, Japan
July 30, 2005 Jorge Arce TKO3 Angel Priolo – La Paz, Baja California
Mar. 2, 2001 Pongsaklek Wonjongkam TKO1 Malcolm Tunacao – Phichit, Thailand
Sep. 17, 1999 Boonsai Sansurat TKO3 Manny Pacquiao – Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
Dec. 4, 1998 Manny Pacquiao KO8 Chatchai Sasakul – Phuttamonthon, Thailand
May 9, 1997 Chatchai Sasakul W12 Ysaias Zamudio – Bangkok, Thailand
June 23, 1992 Yuri Arbachakov KO8 Muangchai Kittikasem – Tokyo, Japan
Feb. 15, 1991 Muangchai Kittikasem TKO6 Sot Chitalada – Ayutthaya, Thailand
Oct. 8, 1984 Sot Chitalada W12 Gabriel Bernal – Bangkok, Thailand
Mar. 15, 1983 Charlie Magri TKO7 Eleoncio Mercedes – London, England
May 18, 1980 Shoji Oguma KO9 Chan-Hee Park – Seoul, Korea
Jan. 8, 1975 Miguel Canto W15 Shoji Oguma – Sendai, Japan
Aug. 4, 1973 Betulio Gonzalez W15 Miguel Canto – Maracaibo, Venezuela
Feb. 23, 1969 Efren Torres TKO8 Chartchai Chionoi – Mexico City, Distrito Federal
Dec. 30, 1966 Chartchai Chionoi TKO9 Walter McGowan – Bangkok, Thailand
Sep. 18, 1963 Pone Kingpetch KO1 Hiroyuki Ebihara – Tokyo, Japan

Whip Round for Amazing Boy

By James Blears

Kenshiro ‘’Amazing Boy’’ Teraji is finally saying goodbye to the light flyweight division to fight Cristofer ‘’Latigo’’ Rosales for the vacant WBC flyweight title on Sunday October 13^th at the Ariake Arena, Tokyo.

This Green and Gold Belt was vacated by Julio Cesar ‘’Rey’’ Martinez, who is moving up to super-flyweight and so opportunity knocks for Ken and Cris.

Kenshiro is part of a golden trio Japanese Boxing in this era, namely Naoya Inoue 28-0, 25 KO`s, Junto Nakatani 28-0, 21 KO`s and Himself 23-1, 14 KO`s. In music, we had The Three Tenors. With this trio, we might well have The Three Spiders, as when they`re fighting, each appears to have eight arms. Between them they have amassed sixty KO`s…and counting.

Unlike Naoya who has stormed up four divisons and Junto who has already progressed three, Kenshiro has remained in the 108 pound category until now.  Highly disciplined, he`s never missed the weight, but as time moves on and age racks up and rocks on, he`s finding it increasingly difficult to make light fly, so the extra four pound will prove a boon?

Kenshiro debuted in 2014 and won the WBC light fly title in only his eighth fight via MD against Ganigan Lopez in the Ariake Stadium.  Three fights later they fought again and by this time,  Kenshiro had mastered the southpaw stance and won via a KO in round two via a searing right to the body, with the Mexican unable to beat the count.

There were eight successful defences and then the only hiccup in Kenshiro`s career. He hadn`t fully recovered from a bout of covid and still weakened by it, he struggled, leaden legged against compatriot Masamichi Yabuki, who fought the fight of his life to defeat the champion via an eleventh round TKO.  The fight had already been put back two weeks, before it finally went ahead and Kenshiro was visibly out of sorts from the outset.

In the immediate rematch Kenshiro dispatched Yabuki in three. Since then, four successful defences in his second reign, including stopping WBA champion Hiroto Kyoguchi in nine to unify, after knocking him down in the fifth and the Referee intervening four later, as Hiroto was swaying and unsteady under intense one- way traffic bumper to bumper buffeting.

Kenshiro`s latest fight was against Carlos Canizales. He won a sizzler by MD, but had found it hard work to shed the last few pounds to make the weight.  Prior to that a superb performance to TKO former two division world champion Hekkie ‘’Hexecutioner’’ Buddler in nine torrid rounds.

Now aged thirty- two, Kenshiro still appears youthful, but it`s past time to move up a category.  Five feet five inches tall with a sixty- four inches reach, he uses distance well, moving in, impacting with fast hands sometimes held relatively low and then retreats to avoid incoming.  His speed and ring generalship are excellent.  Outside the ring he`s a grinner, sociable and affable. Inside it he grinds and often as not he`s a winner.

With Cristofer Rosales he has a worthy, worldly opponent, who himself has been a world champion.  Cris from Nicaragua, who`s knocked around a bit, as a road warrior, is five feet six and a half inches inches tall and outreaches Kenshiro by seven and a half inches.  Two years younger he`s built a decent 37-6, 22KO`s record.

His pro debut was in 2013 and he developed to 26-3 record including winning the WBC Latino and International titles.  His losses were Keyvin Lara, Kai Yafai and Andrew Selby, prior to his bout with Daigo Higa for the vacant WBC flyweight title.

Daigo missed the weight and Cristofer went on to stop him in the ninth.  In his first defence he pounded twice Olympic bronze medallist Paddy Barnes. Paddy was down for a sinking body attack in the fourth and couldn`t beat the count.  But then in defence number two, he lost the title by UD to smooth boxing Charlie Edwards. The fight was at the O2 Arena, Greenwich and Charlie`s jab was as spot on as its famed time signal.

Two fights later, he fearlessly took on the fearsome ‘’Everything but fear’’ JC Martinez.  In a championship slugfest he was overwhelmed in nine grim rounds.  It`s the only time he`s been stopped, with Referee Raul Caiz Jr mercifully moving in to save him. Abashed, but not undeterred he won his next three, lost a UD to Angel Ayala and has won his last five.

Kenshiro is going to have to resolve the puzzle of Cristofer`s considerable reach advantage.  The man from Managua hits hard enough to deserve respect and attention.  Kenshiro might well try to go for that long, lean, elongated torso to tenderize Cris, slow and then stagger his pace.

Kenshiro is stepping into unknown territory and it`ll be interesting to discover, if he brings his punching power up a division.  Cristofer has fought most of his career at flyweight so this is nothing new for him. But he`s never faced an opponent as all round accomplished as ‘’The Amazing Boy.’’

Like so many Japanese champions, it isn`t easy to entice Kenshiro away from his homeland. Originally from Kyoto, he`s very much at home in Tokyo, where this fight will be.  Cristofer doesn’t suffer from home-sickness. Quite a few of his fights have been in Managua, but, he`s already fought in Japan, USA, Venice, England, Ireland, Wales and Mexico. He knows his way around.

Unlikely that Kenshiro will venture higher in weight, so he needs as must, make a point and establish himself with this opportunity for the vacant flyweight title.  As for Cristoper, it`s an important stage, set for another chance at the big time, albeit it against a formidable rival.

Kenshiro has said: ‘’With every punch, I write my legacy. Fresh challenges fuel my fire.’’ Although more taciturn, Cristopher is focusing on his own agenda and a win of this magnitude would be a global attention grabber.

Both hit hard and are efficient, ruthless plus proficient finishers.  Each will be looking to making a punctuated, defining statement, which would suggest an inside the distance win.