ネスビットと即時再戦へと進む和田

This bout was contested between Madoka Wada (DANGAN) and Emma Nesbitt (New Zealand). Although Nesbit was declared the winner by a 2–1 split decision (95–94, 96–93, 93–96), the result was controversial. Wada had dominated the bout, and in the final 10th round, she even knocked Nesbit down with a left body uppercut; however, Referee Williams (New Zealand) ruled it a low blow and even deducted a point.
After the match, the JBC (Japan Boxing Commission) requested a review from the WBA. Following a review by five neutral judges appointed by the WBA, it was ruled that “all judges agreed Wada won by a wide margin.” According to the WBA, the negotiation period for a rematch runs from August 19 to September 19. In principle, the WBA has instructed that the rematch be held within 90 days of August 19. If an agreement cannot be reached, a bidding process is expected to be ordered.

野上㊧－田中

In the same ring (the second bout), a WBO Asia-Pacific flyweight title fight also took place, featuring champion Kosuke Tomioka (RE:BOOT) making his second title defense against Atsuki Sano (Banryu).
While both champions, Nogami and Tomioka, are world-ranked—as is Sano—the post-fight outlook naturally points toward a unification bout for the three regional flyweight titles. Tanaka, who currently holds no titles, was also full of determination, stating, “I want to unify all three and make my way to the world stage.”

富岡㊧－佐野

In the other title match (Match 3), Tosiya Ishii (RE:BOOT), who has regained the OPBF championship, will make his first title defense against Tatsuya Nihei (DANGAN Koriyama). Ishii, who defeated Kaito Yamazaki (Rokushima) and brought the title back from Osaka, stated, “I want to knock him out and win decisively,” as he looks ahead to the future. Nibei is a challenger on the rise, having defeated Kanenobu Hosokawa (Watanabe) in his previous bout.

二瓶を迎える石井

Meanwhile, Yuta Sakai (Ohashi)—who has won eight straight fights since his debut—will take on Phetch Sochippattana (Thailand) in the co-main event. Phetch boasts an impressive career, with 81 wins (54 KOs), though he has suffered defeats to Takuma Inoue (Ohashi) and Junto Nakatani (M.T.) since coming to Japan. He remains a force to be reckoned with as a world-ranked contender (No. 6 in the WBC bantamweight division). Can the highly promising Sakai take that world ranking from him? “I want to win decisively with boxing that leverages my speed and instincts,” Sakai stated firmly.

ペッチにチャレンジする坂井

片岡雷斗㊨と弟の叶夢

In his professional debut in March, Kataoka faced current Japanese champion Natsu Ohashi (Shonan Ryuken) and won by TKO in the sixth round. In his second professional bout, he knocked out a Thai opponent in the first round, advancing to this title eliminator. “I’m grateful to have been given this opportunity in my third fight. I’m determined to win at all costs and use this as a stepping stone to the next level,” the 20-year-old prospect said calmly.
His opponent, Andares, is a 26-year-old with a record of 19 wins (8 KOs), 2 losses, and 3 draws. In 2019, he challenged the then-WBA Minimumweight champion, Knockout CP Freshmart (Thailand), and lost by injury decision in the eighth round. He has fought in Japan before, but both bouts ended in technical draws (due to injury) in the early rounds.
On the day of the event, in addition to the Kataoka vs. Andares bout, there will be four title fights: an OPBF & Japanese flyweight title match, an OPBF super-bantamweight title match, and a WBO Asia-Pacific flyweight title match. In addition, Yuta Sakai (Ohashi), riding an eight-fight winning streak, will challenge world-ranked Petch Sochippattana (Thailand). The card is packed with action, including the second professional bout for Tomu Kataoka (Ohashi), the younger brother of Raito. The event will be live-streamed on Lemino.

練習を公開した吉良

His opponent, second-ranked Carlos Canizares of Venezuela, is a 33-year-old veteran who has held world titles across two sanctioning bodies. Canizares holds a record of 28-3-1 (20 KOs) in 32 contests, including four fights against Japanese opposition, yielding two wins, one defeat, and one draw against opponents such as Kenshiro Teraji. In contrast, the 23-year-old Kira secured his title opportunity by stopping Yudel Reyes [Note: Verification required for “バルデラス”] in the second round—the same fighter who was narrowly outpointed by Canizares in an eliminator last December. A victory in what will be Kira’s fifth professional contest would equal the record for the quickest world title acquisition by a Japanese boxer.

Despite giving away considerable professional experience to Canizares, Kira declared himself fully confident ahead of his fifth fight. “Where I have the edge is my ability to use my ring intelligence, power, and speed,” he stated, asserting that he has no misgivings about competing at world level so early in his career. Kira added that after studying footage of Canizares ranging from his bout with Teraji to his most recent appearance, his assessment of the Venezuelan evolved: “I initially thought he was merely an aggressive fighter, but my impression changed after seeing that he can also maintain distance effectively.”

吉良と佐々木会長

Ahead of his first world title bid, Kira has completed over 120 rounds of sparring. “My offensive approach can be adapted on the fly, so I have been focusing on repeating defensive drills and techniques,” Kira explained.

Regarding his weight cut, Kira noted that he has delegated his meal planning to specialists, allowing him to remain fully focused on training. Shuhei Sasaki, president of Shisei Gym, highlighted Kira’s tactical intellect as his main asset: “He is capable of adapting depending on the situation. I want him to fight with a clear mind without letting the occasion get to him.”

Kira also revealed his appreciation for advice given before a recent sparring session by gym senior Kazuto Ioka, who told him to “fight with composure.” With Shisei Gym—home to both Ioka and Daigo Higa—currently without an active world champion, Kira added, “As the youngest member, I hope that winning this title brings renewed purpose to those around me.”

ラダートレーニングをこなす井上（大橋ジム提供写真）

The training camp was joined by his older brother Naoya Inoue, Shogo Tanaka, Ryutaro Nakagaki, and Seiya Yamaguchi. Instruction was provided by Shingo Inoue, Akira Yaegashi, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Koki Inoue, and Daisuke Yamagishi. According to gym president Hideyuki Ohashi, the camp proved exceptionally intense, featuring “training content unlike anything conducted before.”

左から山口、井上尚弥、井上拓真、田中、中垣（大橋ジム提供写真）

Going forward, he will begin sparring-focused training at Ohashi Gym in Yokohama to prepare for the highly anticipated rematch. Three Mexican fighters will also be arriving in Japan shortly to serve as his sparring partners.

初挑戦の石井を挟んで大橋会長㊨と北野トレーナー

Hideyuki Ohashi, gym president, who set a goal of surpassing his former Yonekura Gym’s record of producing five world champions during his active fighting era, now sees Ohashi Gym matched with his old stable at five world champions. “The time has finally come to surpass it,” said Ohashi with determination.

The promising 26-year-old Ishii, who transitioned from kickboxing, holds a record of 11-1 (8 KOs). In recent years, the primary path to world title contention has seen elite amateur fighters turning professional, making it exceptionally rare for a fighter who built their career step-by-step from four-round bouts to reach world level. However, Ishii seems to find purpose in this challenge, stating, “I believe there is real value in someone like me—without amateur experience or innate talent—becoming a world champion.”

With his upcoming opponent Mendez being a southpaw, Ishii has logged extensive sparring against southpaws, including former WBA champion Ryusei Matsumoto (Teiken Gym). Although this will mark Ishii’s first fight against a southpaw in official competition, he declared confidently, “I have no aversion to southpaws at all; in fact, I consider it a strength.”

Ishii added, “[Mendez] is a highly skilled boxer who excels at controlling rounds and playing the point game, so it may be difficult to dictate the pace as I would like. But I am developing the tools to break through that, and I hope people look out for those adjustments.”

ミット打ちを披露する石井㊨

The bout will take place on 2 September starting at 3:00 PM at Yokohama BUNTAI, alongside the main event featuring Daia Kira against Carlos Canizares for the vacant WBA world light-flyweight title, as well as Yuga Fujiki’s second professional fight. The event will be broadcast live via Lemino.

V4戦の王者川浦

The southpaw champion Kawaura (15-2, 9 KOs) claimed the title in August 2024 with an 11th-round TKO victory over Tetsuro Ohashi (Shinsei Gym). Since then, he has successfully turned back challenges from Yoshihiro Tai (RST Gym), Jo Shiraishi (Shisei Gym), and Han Ryong-ho (Mutsushima Gym). Kawaura is currently ranked number two by the WBO.

Fellow southpaw Nakagaki (7-2-2, 4 KOs) will be making his first challenge for the WBO Asia Pacific title. After turning professional from the amateur ranks, his early career was far from smooth sailing, including two unsuccessful attempts at winning the Japanese Youth title. However, he is currently on a four-fight winning streak, most recently capturing the WBC International Silver title in Thailand last December.

In the eight-round super-flyweight co-feature, Yamato Moriguchi (Misako Gym) will face Isao Aoyama (Celes Gym). The event will be streamed live on Misako Gym’s official YouTube channel, “MISAKO BOXING TV”.

ナバレッテとスパーリングをした亀田㊨　TMKジム提供写真

“It was an extremely dense session conducted in an intensely taut atmosphere unlike anything I have experienced before, where every single punch carried the weight of world-class quality,” Kameda stated regarding the sparring. He noted gaining significant insights into distance control, pressure, and ringcraft, adding, “I was able to clearly identify both the elements that proved effective and the areas that require further refinement.”

Kameda expressed firm determination to capitalize on this experience when he shares the ring with Figueroa.

西田㊧と枝川会長 photo/Naoki Fukuda

The IBF Super Bantamweight Interim Title bout was arranged because Naoya Inoue (Ohashi), the four-organization unified champion, has no fights scheduled for the time being. Former bantamweight champion Nishida, who defeated Vazquez in February to earn the title shot, will face Goodman.
At the press conference, Nishida shared his impressions of Goodman, saying, “He has good balance, can fight at any range, and seems mentally strong,” before calmly adding, “I’ve been training so that I can outclass him at any range.”
Goodman is the man who once missed two opportunities to challenge Naoya Inoue due to his own injuries. Last summer, he challenged Nick Ball (UK) at featherweight but lost by decision, prompting him to return to super bantamweight.
Nishida expressed his determination, saying, “Although it’s an interim title, I believe that if I win this, I’ll have opportunities for various fights, so first and foremost, I absolutely cannot lose.” In addition to reigning champion Naoya Inoue, a rematch in the super bantamweight division against Junto Nakatani (M.T.)—to whom he lost in last year’s bantamweight unification bout—is likely to come into view. Chairman Takashi Edagawa, who won the rights to host this fight in Japan by outbidding Goodman’s camp, is also focusing on the opponent at hand, saying, “I think Nishida has really gotten stronger since moving up to the super bantamweight division,” and expressing his hope for Nishida’s victory.
Nishida has a record of 11 wins (2 KOs) and 1 loss. Goodman has a record of 22 wins (8 KOs) and 1 loss.

メキシコ合宿へ旅立った亀田

As Kameda prepared to challenge Brandon Figueroa (29, USA) for the WBA world featherweight title, he searched for a sparring partner but couldn’t find anyone in Japan or abroad who resembled Figueroa. Consequently, he decided to travel to Mexico to seek out Navarrete, with whom he had sparred during his super bantamweight days.
“The Navarrete camp, which is aiming to win all three major titles, also offered to spar with me. I think it’s been eight years since we last sparred, but Navarrete is in a higher weight class and is a stronger fighter than Figueroa. Navarrete’s gym is located 800 meters higher than Mexico City, which sits at an elevation of 2,000 meters, so I think training in that tough environment will build my stamina. “In any case, I’m going to strengthen my cardiovascular system and build a body capable of moving for about 20 rounds,” Kameda said with high spirits.
“I went to Mexico when I was 15 and have gained a lot of experience since then. I feel like this is my last chance, so I want to give it my all and draw on all that experience.” His Mexican wife and two children also boarded the flight to Mexico, but while his family will stay at his wife’s parents’ home, Kameda will split off to stay at Navarrete’s home and focus entirely on becoming a three-division champion. “The date and time of the fight haven’t been announced yet, but I’ll head down to sea level a week before the fight and make my way to the venue,” he said.
“I’ve fought 47 times so far, and my motivation is sky-high to face Figueroa—the strongest opponent I’ve ever faced—on his home turf. When I return home, I’ll be bringing back my third weight-class belt.” Kameda hopes to seize this big opportunity—which may be his last—and is eager to face Naoya Inoue (Ohashi).
Kameda’s record stands at 42 wins (23 KOs) and 5 losses.