By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Hard-hitting 105-pound challenger Kai Ishizawa (10-1, 9 KOs) is called “Japanese Micro Tyson.” because of his tremendous power punching. WBO#5 Ishizawa is slated to have an ambitious shot at the defending champ, his grudge rival Masataka Taniguchi (15-3, 10 KOs) tomorrow at the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan. At the weigh-in ceremony of today (Thursday), however, Micro Tyson couldn’t make the contracted 105-pound class limit but scaled in at 50.1 kilogram (110.5 pounds), no less than 5.5 pounds over the limit. The champ Taniguchi tipped the beam at the 105-pound class limit. Problem was that Micro Tyson, although given two hours, reduced just half a pound (200 gram). His final weight was 49.9 kilogram (110 pound).

Taniguchi at first refused to fight Micro Tyson because he thought Ishizawa didn’t pay his best effort but reduced only half a pound in two hours. Plus, Ishizawa was five pounds heavier than him. His promoter Hitoshi Watanabe and manager Shinji Fukamachi finally persuaded the champ to fight Micro Tyson under the condition that Ishizawa should not weigh more than 3 kilogram (some 6.6 pounds) over the 105-pound limit—that is, less than 50.6 kilogram–at the point of 5:30 PM, three hours before the title bout.

If Taniguchi is victorious, he will defend his WBO minimumweight belt. Instead, should he lose to the overweight Micro Tyson, Taniguchi will forfeit his world belt despite such a weight difference. It looks unfair, but is subject to the rules and regulations. Let’s see tomorrow what will happen.

For your information, Taniguchi and Micro Tyson once exchanged gloves with the former emerging victorious though the latter dropped him with his power punch once in round five in 2019. This is a grudge fight.

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