Kenshiro Teraji faces Seigo Yuri Akui at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on March 13. The pair square off in an all-Japanese championship unification with two belts at stake. The contest was announced to headline the U Next Boxing 2 card that also features two more world title bouts.
Two-division champion Kenshiro Teraji (24-1, 15 KOs) puts his WBC flyweight title on the line. The 33-year-old claimed the vacant strap by TKO in the 11th round against Cristofer Rosales last October.
Seigo Yuri Akui (21-2-1, 11 KOs) brings his WBA 112-pound belt to the ring. In his second defense also on the Inoue vs Tsutsumi undercard last October, the 29-year-old took a split decision against Thananchai Charunphak.
In the co-feature, Anthony Olascuaga of Los Angeles meets Hiroto Kyoguchi of Japan also at flyweight. Olascuaga makes the second defense of his WBO title.
Anthony Olascuaga (8-1, 6 KOs) faced Jonathan Gonzalez in a bout that initially ended in No Decision in the first round after Gonzalez suffered a cut due to an accidental clash of heads. The outcome was later overturned by the sanctioning body to a TKO victory for Olascuaga. The 26-year-old claimed the vacant strap by knockout in the third round against Riku Kano last July.
Former strawweight and super strawweight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi (19-2, 12 KOs) looks to land a title in his third weight class. The 31-year-old took a majority decision against Vince Paras last October.
Also on the card, Japan’s Shokichi Iwata takes on Rene Santiago of Puerto Rico at light flyweight. Iwata makes the first defense of his WBO title.
Shokichi Iwata (14-1, 11 KOs) lifted the vacant belt last October, when he stopped Jairo Noriega in the third round. With the victory, the 28-year-old secured his fifth win in a row, after falling short by unanimous decision against Jonathan Gonzalez in his first try to claim the same title in November 2022.
Former interim light flyweight champion Rene Santiago (13-4, 9 KOs) scored a unanimous decision against short notice opponent Ricardo Astuvilca, who replaced Azael Villar, also last October. With the victory, the 32-year-old bounced back from a unanimous decision defeat against Jonathan Gonzalez last March in his first attempt to claim the WBO 108-pound title.
ESPN+ is expected to stream the card in the U.S.