Former world minimumweight champion Katsunari Takayama of Neyagawa Ishida Boxing Club, who earlier announced his decision to return to the ring for the first time in two years and a month, will face Joel Lino of the Philippines on June 11 in a light flyweight eight-rounder at KBS Hall in Kyoto, western Japan, it was learned recently.

The 27-year-old Lino, ranked 13th in the World Boxing Organization’s Asia-Pacific minimumweight, has a record of 12 wins, including five knockouts, against four losses and a draw.

It will be the 39-year-old Takayama’s first fight since losing to then World Boxing Organization light flyweight champion Elwin Soto of Mexico in Dallas, Texas in May 2021.

Takayama, who made a professional debut in 2000, became the World Boxing Council minimumweight champion in 2005. He then captured the World Boxing Association minimumweight interim title in 2006. He also won the International Boxing Federation minimumweight title in 2013 and then the WBO title in the same division in 2014, becoming the first Japanese to win all the given titles of the four major sanctioning bodies.

Takayama has a 32-9 win-loss tally with 12 KOs and one no contest.