A press conference for “U-NEXT BOXING 6” was held on the 19th at a hotel in Tokyo. A triple world title bout will take place on Monday, July 20 (a national holiday) at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. The main event will be the WBA World Bantamweight Title bout between No. 1 Riku Masuda (Teiken) and No. 2 Daigo Higa (Shisei). The card also features the WBO World Super Flyweight Title bout between No. 3 Kenshiro Terachi (BMB) and No. 4 Israel Gonzalez (Mexico), as well as the WBC World Light Flyweight Title bout between champion Shokichi Iwata (Teiken) vs. No. 1-ranked Eric Badillo (Mexico) for the WBC World Light Flyweight title. The event will be streamed live on U-NEXT.photos/Naoki Fukuda
7.20両国に出場する左から岩田、増田、比嘉、寺地の各選手
The WBC Light Flyweight title bout marks the first title defense for new champion Shokichi Iwata (Teiken). Iwata will face mandatory challenger Eric Badillo from Mexico.
In March, Iwata defeated Thailand’s Knockout CP Freshmart by 8th-round TKO, securing his second title in this weight class following the WBO championship. He suffered almost no damage from the fight and returned to the gym just one week later. In late June, he held a running training camp in Narita, Chiba, and is currently engaged in sparring sessions to prepare for his bout against Badillo.
Badillo is a southpaw with a perfect 19-0 record, including 8 KOs. He throws a high volume of punches and, in his most recent bout, scored a convincing decision victory over former WBO champion Elwin Soto (Mexico).
グリーン＆ゴールドのベルトキープに意気込むチャンピオン岩田
“I resumed training right away because I was so focused on my next fight,” Iwata said, revealing his strong determination to successfully defend the title he was unable to secure in the WBO. “Many people probably think I’m in trouble facing Budillo, but this is exactly the kind of fight I’ve been hoping for. I want to prove my strength and win no matter what,” the champion declared emphatically.
Advance tickets for “U-NEXT BOXING 6” went on sale today at 6:00 p.m. via Lawson Ticket. Ticket prices are 55,000 yen, 33,000 yen, 44,000 yen (two seats in the same section), 22,000 yen, and 11,000 yen.
