Ayumu Sano
(LUSH), ranked 11th in the division and set to challenge for the WBA Interim Super Flyweight title on April 19 in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, held a public workout for the media at Midori Gym in Nagoya on the 26th. He completed a total of 12 rounds of sparring, including 4 rounds against reigning IBF World Flyweight Champion Masamichi Yabuki (Midori) and 8 rounds against Salvador Juarez, who was brought in from Mexico.
矢吹㊧の胸を借りた佐野
Yabuki is still in the early stages before starting full-scale sparring, but he agreed to act as a partner at the request of Sano, who is like a younger brother to him. Despite having faced each other many times before, there was no complacency. Sano later remarked, “He’s the scariest sparring partner. I get more nervous against him than anyone else,” and that tension was palpable throughout the four rounds with Yabuki.
When they first sparred two years ago, Yabuki dominated, but today there were no one-sided moments. Both fighters threw many punches but also maintained solid defense, resulting in few clean hits. In the final fourth round, Yabuki shifted gears and aggressively pressured Sano, but Sano withstood the intense pressure well. Even though Yabuki is far from his peak, completing four rounds nearly on even terms must have been a significant confidence booster for Sano.
Sano admitted that the four rounds with Yabuki left him physically and mentally exhausted, and the subsequent eight rounds of sparring with Juarez were “not good because I lost focus.” Nevertheless, LUSH Gym manager and trainer Takashi Okada gave him a passing grade, noting, “It was good that he managed to take the final 12th round.”
In Kyrgyzstan, he will challenge interim champion David Jimenez (Costa Rica). While WBA interim title matches without a valid reason are not recognized within Japan, Sano remains positive: “If I win this, it will be the start of my boxing career. I want to challenge ‘Bam,’ who is called the strongest in the world, and there is a strong fighter in Shizuoka I want to face as well.” “Bam” is the nickname of Jesse Rodriguez (USA), the unified champion of three organizations. The “strong fighter in Shizuoka” refers to Tomoya Tsuboi (Teiken), whom Sano admires. They are also rivals in the race to become the first world champion from Shizuoka.
When asked for advice for Sano, Yabuki said, “It depends on whether (Sano) can maintain distance while effectively picking up points. It will be a difficult fight. I imagine Jimenez will come forward aggressively. He should go into it expecting a world title fight against that kind of opponent to be twice as tiring as usual.”
