By Joe Koizumi
Photo: Boxing Beat Magazine
Ohashi Promotions on Friday announced a quintuple of all-female title bouts on January 12. It features three world championship bouts and a couple of regional title goes at the Korakuen Hall. The headliner will be WBA, WBO unified minimumweight champ Yuko Kuroki (22-7-2, 9 KOs) against Rie Matsuda (6-1-1, 1 KO), both of Japan, over ten rounds. The semi-windup will be the second defense of last year’s female Boxer of the Year WBO super fly titlist Mizuki Hiruta (5-0, 1 KO) against Korean Ji-Hyun Park (26-3, 8 KOs) over ten. IBF atomweight ruler Mika Iwakawa (12-6-1, 4 KOs) will put her belt on the line against up-and-coming unbeaten Sumire Yamanaka (7-0, 3 KOs), the younger sister of former WBO 105-pound champ Ryuya Yamanaka, over ten.
WBO Asia Pacific minimum titleholder Riyuna Yoshikawa will make her second defense against Mayumi Nakano over eight. Ex-OPBF ruler Terumi Nuki and India’s Monika Singh will dispute the vacant WBO AP bantam belt over eight.
Female boxing in Japan is struggling to survive. It is harder to sell tickets and have people pay attention than in male fights, but it may be one way to put these title bouts all together like this. Let’s get it on.
Hiruta might be special. Maybe some promoter from this side of planet will take an interest.
All these champions have records like club fighters, LMAO!
No Thank You. It is a waste of my precious time.
Women’s boxing needs to go away. Even schoolboy boxing is more interesting.