Undefeated Shuichiro Yoshino of Misako Boxing Gym, the holder of the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization’s Asia-Pacific titles, will defend his titles against former WBO super featherweight champion Masayuki Ito of Yokohama Hikari Boxing Gym on Apr. 9 in Saitama Prefecture, organizers said on March 3.

The bout will be held as an undercard of the title unification fight between World Boxing Association ‘’super’’ middleweight champion Ryota Murata of Teiken Boxing Gym and Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin of Kazakhstan.

The scheduled 12-rounder at Saitama Super Arena was initially planned on Dec. 29 last year but was moved to Apr. 9 in accordance with the new date for the Murata-GGG fight.

Speaking before a group of reporters, undefeated Yoshino, who earlier relinquished his Japanese lightweight title, said, ‘’Though Mr. Ito was a former world champion and has an ample carrier, I think I can see my future clearly if I beat him. I want to go to the United States (to challenge a world title) by beating him.’’ Yoshino has 14 straight wins, 11 by knockout.

As for Ito, 31, while he was decisioned by highly touted Hironori Mishiro of Watanabe Boxing Gym, in December 2020, he is aiming at big comeback by beating Yoshino, 30.

Ito, currently ranked second in the Japanese lightweight division, said, ‘’Of course, I want to fight in the U.S. as well by overcoming the coming fight. True Mr. Yoshino is strong and possesses a punching power, but I am determined to overcome the strong boxer. I will transcend him.’’

Ito won the WBO super featherweight title in July 2018 in Kissimmee, Florida by decisioning Christopher Diaz of Puerto Rico. While he successfully defended the title once later in that year in Japan, he lost the title in Kissimmee to Jamel Herring of the U.S.
Ito has a 17-3-1 win-loss-draw tally with 15 KOs.