Inoue’s brother #9 Takuma to face #3 Yap in WBC 118lb eliminator; IBF 122lb champ Iwasa to meet #1 Doheny

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Boxing Beat, Joe Koizumi

Every week some promoters make public announcements of forthcoming big events here in Japan. Ohashi Promotions, presided by former WBC/WBA 105-pound champ Hideyuki Ohashi, had a press conference on Thursday to announce a WBC bantamweight eliminator to decide the #1 official challenger to the championship that is still vacant at this moment to be disputed by the leading available contenders soon.

Unbeaten prospect Takuya Inoue (11-0, 3 KOs), the younger brother of the WBA bantam ruler “Monster” Naoya, will cope with OPBF titleholder #3 Mark John Yap (29-12, 14 KOs), a Japan-based Filipino import residing in Osaka, in Tokyo, Japan, on September 11. Yap’s OBPF belt will not be on the line.

Takuma, a vastly talented speedster at 22 cultivated by his father/trainer Shingo, previously defeated such name opponents as Nestor Narvaes (on the same show as Naoya’s annihilation of his brother Omar), Froilan Saludar (world-rated brother of Vic), Rene Duckel (future victim of Naoya in the world title go), Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr. (a talented Thailander in Takuma’s second pro bout).

Yap, since being traded by Japan’s Muto Gym, showed his spectacular improvement and wrested the OPBF belt by upsetting Takahiro Yamamoto in 2016 to score three defenses to his credit. It will be a highly competitive matchup.

IBF 122-pound titlist Ryosuke Iwasa (25-2, 16 KOs) will put his belt on the line against mandatory challenger, unbeaten Australian TJ Doheny (19-0, 14 KOs) at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, on August 16. Iwasa, handled by former world champ Celes Kobayashi, annexed the IBF belt by lopsidedly halting defending champ and compatriot Yukinori Oguni last September and made a successful defense over Filipino Ernesto Saulong by a lopsided decision this March. Doheny defeated world-rated veteran Mike Tawatchai by a split duke in Thailand last December and zoomed up to the mandatory position. It will also be a competitive title contest.

Unbeaten son of former WBC bantam ruler Joichiro, Juiki Tatsuyoshi (8-0, 5 KOs) will participate in a first ten-rounder with Indonesian champ Noldi Manakane (33-24-2, 11 KOs) in Osaka on July 27. Juiki, 21, unfortunately had a hiatus for fourteen months because of an injury, but made a successful comeback and scored a couple of fine victories since. Some people say, “In the eighth pro bout your father became the world champ by dethroning Greg Richardson.” But it might be too severe and too early to compare Juiki with his great father at this stage of his career. Juiki, an unpolished diamond, is currently coached by Joichiro’s senior, ex-WBA bantam champ Takuya Muguruma who once seized the vacant WBA belt by stopping Azael Moran in 1987. It’s great fun to watch Juiki’s improvement in each fight.