The 22-year-old Harada, who was fighting for his first Olympics, will next face Javier Ibanez of Bulgaria in the quarterfinals at the capital city’s Arena Paris Nord on Aug. 3.

  Meanwhile, Harada’s compatriot and the winner in the 2021 AIBA men’s world boxing championships at welterweight Sewon Okazawa of INSPA Inc. lost to Zeyad Eashash of Jordan 2-3 in the men’s 71-kg division the same day and failed to advance to the quarterfinals of the Summer Olympics.

  After the fight at Korakuen Hall, all three judges scored the fight 59-55 in favor of Wakasa. It was the 36-year-old Wakasa’s first title in about two years and a half. For her part, Fujiwara failed in her first defense of the title she won by decisioning Kimika Miyoshi of Kawasaki Nitta Boxing Gym in April.

  While there were no knockdowns in the fight, it was Wakasa who landed more effective punches than the 37-year-old Fujiwara.

  With the win, Wakasa improved her record to eight wins, two by knockout, against four losses, while Fujiwara fell to a 6-4-1 win-loss-draw tally with two KOs.

  The 32-year-old Teraji said, ‘’I will aim at winning the green belt (the WBC) ‘’ during the July 29 convivial gathering in the western Japanese city hosted by his supporters.

  Teraji successfully defended the WBC light flyweight title four times and the WBA crown three times.

  At present, the WBC flyweight title is vacant. Cristofer Rosales of Nicaragua is the WBC’s top-ranked flyweight.

Rosales challenged the then WBC flyweight champion Daigo Higa (of then Shirai-Gushiken Boxing Gym) in April 2018 and stopped Higa in the ninth round, although Higa filed to make the weight. Rosales lost the title in his second title defense in December that year.

Teraji said, ‘’I am determined to win the flyweight title as well and will aim at becoming the undisputed champion.’’

While Teraji hurt his right hand in his title defense in January this year against top-ranked WBA light flyweight Carlos Canizales of Venezuela, he started training in May after having a surgery on his injured part so much so that he can now have sparring sessions.

Teraji is now putting teeth into his defense as he said, ‘’I will do the kind of boxing in which I will not be hit too much as I am horning my defense capability.’’

  Inoue went a total of eight rounds of sparring with Noli Valenzuela and Jose Angel Garcia, both undefeated featherweights. It was the third time for Garcia to visit Japan. The 31-year-old Inoue had been sparring with other two Mexican partners until this week.

  Inoue made a comment through the gym in the form of the question-and-answer session as follows:

  Q: what about the sparring today?

  A: I was able to move throughout the eight rounds against the two partner (each for four rounds). I think I got a good response, including my stamina.

  Q: Didn’t you feel any fatigue due to the possible after-effects of the intensive training camp at the gym two weeks ago?

  A: I already got rid of my fatigue and was able to do sparring with the new Mexican partners.

  Q: It was the first time for you to spar with Valenzuela. Any comment?

  A: Since I have sparred with many boxers, I make it a rule to adjust myself to each boxer. It is not easy to think only about Doheny. I can become much more versatile if I spar with different kind of partners. True Doheny has a one-punch knockout power and may not be timed nicely. But if I can cope with each and different sparring partner, I think I can cope with any situation in the fight.

  Q: Doing eight rounds of sparring at a time appears to be a little too long. Do you often do that?

  A: I sparred with eight rounds last Thursday. I will concentrate on sparring this week and the next. After the middle of August, I will make a minor adjustment. I mean I will reduce the number of my sparring sessions and will go on with fine-tuning.

  Q: Have you already seen Doheny’s fight video?

  A: I saw the two of his three fights he did in Japan except his fight at Tokyo Dome. I saw his fight with Japhethlee Llamido (of the United States last October) and Kazuki Nakajima (of Ohashi gym in June last year). Since Llamido and Nakajima are left-handed, I don’t think I can imagine my fight with Doheny. I also saw his fight with Sam Goodman of Australia (in March 2023, in which Doheny dropped a 10-round decision). But I think I understand the kind of Doheny’s style of boxing, it will all depend on how to fight with him in the actual ring.

  Q: What about your present mind and body?

  A: I think I have been able to maintain my motivation ever since my last fight at Tokyo Dome (in which Inoue stopped Luis Nery of Mexico in the sixth round to retain his titles).

PHOTO By Ohashi Boxing Gym

  According to the gym, the left-handed Shigeoka, who failed in his third title defense at the Shiga Daihatsu Arena in the western Japanese prefecture, was sent to a nearby hospital immediately after his loss as his right eyelid was closed almost shut due to the incessant punches of Taduran, also a southpaw, to the head.

  While the 24-year-old Shigeoka suffered the orbital floor fracture, he is in fine condition, the gym said, adding Shigeoka will be hospitalized in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward on July 30.

  After the referee called off the fight in the ninth round, Shigeoka was carried out of the ring on a stretcher to the prefectural hospital.

  The technical knockout of the scheduled 12-rounder at the Shiga Daihatsu Arena in the prefecture’s Otsu City came 2 minutes and 50 seconds into the round when the left-handed Tduran connected with unanswered blows to the head and body by putting Shigeoka, also a southpaw, against the ropes, which prompted the referee to step in to call off the fight.

  The 24-year-old Shigeoka’s damage was such he was carried out on a stretcher to a hospital, although there was no serious damage to his health. With the defeat, Shigeoka failed in his third defense of the title he won by knocking out Taduran’s compatriot Rene Mark Cuarto in April last year.

  This is the second time for the 27-year-old Taduran to capture the IBF minimumweight crown as he won the then vacant title in 2019 by stopping Samuel Salva of the Philippines. He lost the title in 2021 to fellow Filipino Rene Mark Cuarto in his second title defense.

  After the fight, Taduran said through an interpreter, ‘’I have trained very hard for this particular fight in the past three months. Though he (Shigeoka) was a good fighter, I came here to win the title.’’

‘’This was the fourth time for me to visit the Japan (twice for then World Boxing Organization minimumweight champion Ryuya Yamanaka and once for then for World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association light flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji of B.M.B. Boxing Gym). I want to add more championship belts,’’ he added. It was Shigeoka’s first bout with a left-handed opponent in four years and seven months.

  While both southpaws got off to an active start, it was Taduran who threw more effective punches.

  Shigeoka suffered a nosebleed in the second round with his right eyelid beginning to be closed in the fifth stanza due to Taduran’s overhand lefts.

  Though Shigeoka occasionally connected with right hooks to the body, it was Taduran who came out even stronger by unleashing powerful punches to the head and body.

  Shigeoka’s damage was such, the referee appeared to have been seeking an opportunity to stop the fight.

  With the victory, Taduran improved his record to 17 wins, including 13 KOs, against four losses and a draw. For his part, it was Shigeoka’s first loss after winning his first 11 bouts, nine by KO.

  It was the first time that a world title fight had been held in the western Japanese prefecture. It was held under the banner of 3150FIGHT vol.9 promoted by Kameda Promotion Co.

  The 24-year-old Ginjiro Shigeoka tipped the scales at 47.5 kg (104.7 lbs), 100 gm below the division’s weight limit, whereas the 27-year-oldTaduran weighed in at 47.2 kg.

  The scheduled 12-rounder will be held at Otsu’s Shiga Daihatsu Arena, the first world title fight in the prefecture, under the banner of 3150FIGHT vol.9 promoted by Kameda Promotion Co.

  It will be the left-handed Shigeoka’s third defense of the title he captured in April last year. He has 11 straight wins, including nine KOs, and one no contest.

  Taduran, also a southpaw, won the IBF minimumweight title in 2019 but lost it in his second title defense in 2021. He has a record of 16 wins, 12 by KO, against four losses and a draw.

  The left-handed Taduran did rope-jumping and mitt- and heavy-bag hitting at KWORLD3 Boxing Gym in Osaka.

  This was his fourth visit to Japan as the 27-yearold Taduran has served as a sparring partner, twice for then World Boxing Organization minimumweight champion Ryuya Yamanaka and once for then for World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association light flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji of B.M.B. Boxing Gym, who announced recently he will give up the titles.

  Taduran’s trainer Carlos Penalosa said he hopes Taduran will overpower Shigeoka, also a southpaw, at short range because he has gotten his techniques level up in every aspect as he has engaged himself in hard training.

  Taduran captured the IBF minimumweight title in 2019 but lost it in his second title defense in 2021. He said he is determined to become the first man to beat the undefeated Shigeoka.

  The scheduled 12-rounder will be held at the prefecture’s Shiga Daihatsu Arena, the first world title fight in Shiga Prefecture,

  Taduran has a record of 16 wins, 12 by KO, against four losses and a draw. Shigeoka has 11 straight wins, including nine KOs, and one no contest.

  It was Kano’s third successful defense of the title she captured in March last year by beating Miki.

  Fighting at Korakuen Hall, Kano displayed effective combination blows to Miki throughout the fight. There were no knockdowns in the bout.

  With the win, the 29-year-old Kano, who also holds the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation atomweight title, improved her record to eight wins, including two KOs, against a loss and two draws. For her part, the 31-year-old Mik fell to a 6-7-1 win-loss tally with two KOs.

  After a hard-fought bout at Korakuen Hall, two of the three judges scored the fight 78-74 for the 31-year-old Kurihara while the remaining one had it 78-74 for the 32-year-old Portes.

  With the win, Kurihara, ranked eighth in the division by the World Boxing Council and ninth by the International Boxing Federation, improved his record to 19 wins, including 16 knockouts, against eight losses and a draw, while Portes fell to a 13-17 win-loss tally with six KOs.