Former World Boxing Organization flyweight champion Sho Kimura of Hanagata Boxing Gym will return to the ring for the first time in two years and three months as he will take on Ryu Horikawa of Misako Boxing Gym in an eight-round nontitle bout on May 9 at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall, it was learned on Apr. 2.

The 33-year-old Kimura, who lost the world title in September 2018 to Kosei Tanaka of Soul Box Hatanaka Boxing Gym in his third defense of the title he won from Zou Shiming of China in July 2017, moved down in weight and unsuccessfully challenged then World Boxing Association light flyweight champion Carlos Canizales of Venezuela in May 2019 in China.

He last fought in February 2020 in Manila where he stopped Merlito Sabillo of the Philippines in the second round.

His opponent Horikawa, 21, made a professional debut in August 2019 after winning the interscholastic athletic meet during his high-school days. His last fight was in February last year when he was stopped in the fifth round by Yudai Shigeoka of Watanabe Boxing Gym in Tokyo.

Kimura has a record of 19 wins, including 12 knockouts, against three losses and two draws. Horikawa has a 3-1-1 win-loss draw tally with one KO.