WBC Special Preview: Kenshiro Teraji vs. Anthony Olascuaga

WBC STATS 

WBC LT. FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE ARIAKE ARENA TOKYO, JAPAN 

APRIL 8, 2023

 TV: ESPN+ / AMAZON PRIME JAPAN

THIS WILL BE THE WBC’S 2, 165 CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE   FIGHT   IN   THE   SIXTY YEARS HISTORY OF THE WBC

TEIKEN PROMOTIONS & TOP RANK, PRESENTS:

KENSHIRO TERAJI                                               

(JAPAN)

WBC CHAMPION

Nationality:       Japan

Date of Birth:    January 6, 1992

Birthplace:        Joyo, Kyoto, Japan

Residence:         Uji, Kyoto, Japan

Age:                 30

Record:             20-1-0, 12 KO’s

KO %:              57.2 %

Alias:                The Amazing Boy

Guard:             Orthodox

Total rounds:    144

World Titles fights: 12 (11-1-0)

Manager:          Masato Yamashita

Promoter:         Shinsei Promotions

ANTHONY OLASCUAGA

(US)

WBC No. 15 / CHALLENGER

Nationality:       USA

Date of Birth:    January 1, 1999

Birthplace:        Los Angeles, California

Residence:         Los Angeles, California

Age:                 24

Record:             5-0-0, 3 KO’s

KO %:              60 %

Alias:                Princesa

Guard:             Orthodox

Total rounds:    23

World Titles fights:  0

Manager:          Akihiko Honda

Promoter:         Teiken Promotions

WBC´S LT. FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS

NAME                                         PERIODO CHAMPION

1. FRANCO UDELLA (ITALY) 1975
2. LUIS ESTABA (VEN) 1975 – 1978
3. FREDDIE CASTILLO (MEX) 1978
4. NETRNOI SOR VORASINGH (THA) 1978
5. SUNG JUN KIM (KOR) 1978 – 1980
6. SHIGEO NAKAJIMA (JAP) 1980
7. HILARIO ZAPATA (PAN) 1980 – 1982
8. AMADO URZUA (MEX) 1982
9. TADASHI TOMORI (JAP) 1982
10. HILARIO ZAPATA (PAN) * 1982 – 1983
11. JUNGKOO CHANG (KOR) 1983 – 1988
12. GERMAN TORRES (MEX) 1988 – 1989
13. YULWOO LEE (KOR) 1989
14. HUMBERTO GONZALEZ (MEX) 1989 – 1990
15. ROLANDO PASCUA (PHIL) 1990 – 1991
16. MELCHOR COB CASTRO (MEX) 1991
17. HUMBERTO GONZALEZ (MEX) * 1991 – 1993
18. MICHAEL CARBAJAL (US) 1993 – 1994
19. HUMBERTO GONZALEZ (MEX) * 1994 – 1995
20. SAMAN SORJATURONG (THA) 1995 – 1999
21. YOSAM CHOI (KOR) 1999 – 2002
22. JORGE ARCE (MEX) 2001 – 2004
23. ERIC ORTIZ (MEX) 2005
24. BRIAN VILORIA (US) 2005 – 2006
25. OMAR NIÑO (MEXICO) 2006
26. WANDEE SINGWANGCHA (THAILAND) INTERIM 2006
27. EDGAR SOSA (MEXICO) 2007 – 2009
28. RODEL MAYOL (PHILIPPINES) 2009 – 2010
29. OMAR NIÑO (MEXICO) * 2010
30. GILBERTO KEB BAAS (MEXICO) 2010 – 2011
31. ADRIAN HERNANDEZ (MEXICO) 2011
32. KOMPAYAK PORPRAMOOK (THAILAND) 2011 – 2012
33. ADRIAN HERNANDEZ (MEXICO) * 2012 – 2014
34. NAOYA INOUE (JAPAN) 2014
35. PEDRO GUEVARA (MEXICO) 2014 – 2015
36. YU KIMURA (JAPAN) 2015 – 2016
37. GANIGAN LOPEZ (MEXICO) 2016 – 2017
38. KENSHIRO TERAJI (JAPAN) 2017 – 2021
39. MASAMICHI YABUKI (JAPAN) 2021 –  2022
40. KENSHIRO TERAJI (JAPAN) * 2022 –

*REGAINED

WBC´S LT. FLYWEIGHT TOP TEN CHAMPIONS

1. HUMBERTO GONZALEZ (MEXICO
2. HILARIO ZAPATA (PANAMA)
3. MICHAEL CARBAJAL (US)
4. LUIS ESTABA (VENEZUELA)
5. JUNGKOO CHANG (KOREA)
6. SAMAN SORJATURONG (THAILAND)
7. JORGE ARCE (MEXICO)
8. EDGAR SOSA (MEXICO)
9. YOSAM CHOI (KOREA)
10. TADASHI TOMORI (JAPAN)

GENERAL INFORMATION OF THE LT. FLYWEIGHT DIVISION IN THE HISTORY OF THE WBC

34 WORLD CHAMPIONS HAVE CONQUERED THE WBC WORLD TITLE AT THE LIGHTFLYWEIGHT DIVISION.

5 OF THEM HAVE BEEN CHAMPIONS IN DIFFERENT CYCLES

HILARIO ZAPATA (PANAMA) TWICE

HUMBERTO GONZALEZ (MEXICO) THREE TIMES

OMAR NIÑO (MEXICO) TWICE

ADRIAN HERNANDEZ (MEXICO) TWICE

KENSHIRO TERAJI (JAPAN) TWICE

THE WBC HAS HELD 151 LT. FLYWEIGHT TITLE BOUTS IN 8 COUNTRIES ALL ITS WBC HISTORY

 28 OF THEM WORLD TITLE BOUTS HVE BEEN IN LT. FLYWEIGHT DIVISION IN JAPAN HELD IN THE HISTORY OF THE WBC

FLYWEIGHT FIGHTS BY COUNTRY IN THE WBC HISTORY

MEXICO                             36

KOREA                               30

JAPAN                                   28

US                                       24

VENEZUELA                     15

THAILAND                        14

PANAMA                            3

ITALY                                1

    TOTAL                    151

WBC TITLE BOUTS HELD IN JAPAN

300 BOUTS HAVE BEEN HELD IN JAPAN IN THE WBC HISTORY

THIS WILL BE THE 29^th. TITLE FIGHT IN THE LT. FLYWEIGHT DIVISION HAVE BEEN HELD IN JAPAN IN THE WBC HISTORY.

BREAKDOWN BY DIVISION:

BANTAM                             61

FLY                                       50

SUPERFLY                          37

STRAW                                28

SUPERFEATHER                28

FLY                                        28

SUPERBANTAM                 20

FEATHER                            15

SUPERWELTER                  11

SUPERLIGHT                      10

LIGHT                                  9

HEAVY                                3

TOTAL BOUTS              300

Sheer inconvenience for Kenshiro!

By James Blears

World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji is facing up to an unexpected change of opponent, and will now be defending his Green and Gold Laurels against late replacement Anthony Olascuaga at the Ariake Arena Koto-Ku, Tokyo on April 8^th.

The scene was all set for a juicy unification bout, with Kenshiro primed to defend his WBC and WBA Belts against WBO Champion Jonathan “La Bomba” Gonzalez. But then… a bombshell, after Jonathan contracted viral pneumonia and had to postpone. The rush was on to find someone to take his place, fight hard and be a creditable challenger for the formidable Kenshiro.

Ironic, because former champion Hekkie Budler had agreed to a step aside clause, so Kenshiro and Jonathan could duke it out to decide divine right of triple kingship and he`d fight the winner for the armful of belts. Now this ripple has possibly altered that course with a wave, if not the final port. “Heck!”

The solution to the muddle and the riddle arrives in the form of in- form Anthony “Princesa” Olascuaga. Kenshiro was training and lining up sparring partners, preparing for Jonathan, who is a short squat in your face southpaw. Anthony is more upright and fights out of a conventional stance. Jonathan is a swarming fighter who likes to get in close to achieve his body of work. But Anthony is a stylist and a punch picker, rather than an outright fighter.

Albert Einstein once reflected: “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” Kenshiro will certainly have to be adept, adapt and adopt a new approach, because he`s wading into a very different kettle of fish.  Could it contain treacle?

He will also be mindful concerning the history of upsets littering boxing, wrought and brought but seldom sought, when opponents are changed at almost the last minute. Boxing is about styles and the more they contrast to the original strategy, the greater the chance/risk something could go West, even though Anthony has travelled East, all the way from LA, for this. Chopping and changing could result in a changeling chopping?  Cuckoo?

This is a career gambit and potentially the opportunity of a lifetime for Anthony. But it would be patently untrue to say he`s got nothing to lose rather than everything to gain.  Kenshiro is a seasoned, versatile brilliant boxer who`s built a record of 20-1, 12 KO`s. He`s a two time champion who has fought the cream of the crop. If he swiftly and painfully dispatches young Anthony, who at twenty four is seven years younger, it will be a significant setback and an ugly blemish on a fledgling career sheet.

Anthony may not have the paucity of a share cropper. A legacy, which did Sonny Liston no harm at all. But he has scant experience in the pro ranks. Only five fights of which three have ended in KO victories. He holds one ace up his sleeve. He sparred with Kenshiro in LA and quickly learned how strong, powerful and agile the Japanese maestro is.  Often, sparring is conducted at ninety percent level. He`ll soon encounter the full blast! The full monty!

Prodigious is a word which can be applied to Anthony. In only his second fight, he ably handled and defeated durable and experienced Saul “Baby” Juarez, who has already contested the world title twice. For just his third fight, Anthony went to Roberto Duran Arena in Panama, to fight local Gilberto “Cacique” Pedroza who in his time had won the WBC International Silver flyweight title. This time the youngster won it by UD! He won his most recent fight, TKO´ing Marco Sustaita in round one. But from that to this… is a quantum leap into the deep!

Beaming, affable, polite but seldom contrite outside the ring, Kenshiro is a cool, calculating, ruthlessly efficient and expressionless operator inside it. Tall for this category, but certainly not gangling, he stands five feet five inches tall and is good at utilizing his reach at medium and long range.

Kenshiro´s nickname is “Amazing Boy.” Aged thirty-one, the first bloom of youth has faded, but he still has a fresh-faced charm.

In winning the title from Mexico`s Ganigan Lopez, Kenshiro was victorious by MD, taking time to adjust to the southpaw style. Three fights later in the rematch, no such quarms, quandaries or quested issues. He abruptly dispatched Ganigan in round two with a body shot, to notch a KO on his belt. An improved learning curve, scimitar style.

Kenshiro learned about the corrosive lingering effects of Covid 19 the hard way. In his ninth defense of his WBC Crown, he came badly unstuck against compatriot Masamichi Yabuki, being sheared of his title. He lost via a tenth round knockout. All credit to Mashamichi, who fought the disciplined fight of his life. But it was plainly obvious that from the outset, Kenshiro was out of sorts and out of sync, unable to establish and maintain his usual fluent, fluid rhythm.

In the rematch he won back the title with a thundering third round KO, to rectify the only blemish on his record, silencing the doubting Thomas brigade of nay sayers. Antidote vindication via victory!  Then Kenshiro overwhelmed WBA champion Hiroto Kyogushi with a chilling seventh round TKO to add that belt to his growing collection.

This fight between Anthony and Kenshiro is a needs as must patch up patchwork. The show must go on and Anthony has intrepidly stepped up. Is the little prince or “Princessa” ready to usurp the throne room? Anything can happen in boxing and sometimes it does! A coup can be unexpected but then “Coup de grace” is always ruthlessly applied!

There will be war and peace, and as Leo Tolstoy observed: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”