World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association light flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji of B.M.B. Boxing Gym said on Apr. 5 in Tokyo he hopes to have the final title unification fight this year, or move up to the flyweight division.

  The 32-year-old Teraji, who appeared as a guest speaker for his Jan. 23 title defense against the WBA’s top-ranked Carlos Canizales of Venezuela for a satellite television station, said he had his injured right fist operated after the Canizales fight, in which Teraji won with a majority decision to retain the titles after a grueling battle.

  According to Teraji, he still cannot use his right hand during his training even today as he had his fist injured a few fights before and has been engaged in such basic practices as body movements, weaving and clinching.

  ‘’I feel as if I were a beginner, ‘’Teraji commented, adding cheerfully, ‘’But I think I can show the new (stronger) Teraji in my next fight.’’

  Though Teraji had initially been reported to return to the ring around June, his next fight is likely to be pushed back to this summer or later given the current circumstances.

  In this connection, it was recently reported that the title unification bout between International Boxing Federation light flyweight champion Sivenathi Nontshinga of South Africa and the World Boxing Organization ruler of the same division Jonathan Gonzles of Puerto Rico is contemplated around June.

  ‘’It couldn’t be better if I can have the title unification fight with the winner of this fight. If not, I hope to move up to the flyweight division since having a mere title defense will not be sufficient anymore,’’ Teraji commented.