By Joe Koizumi
The state of emergency in ten Japanese prefectures was strictly extended until June 20 yesterday (Friday) by our government. They are Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Kyoto, Okayama and Okinawa. Originally it was scheduled to end on May 31, but the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t yet ceased and the hospital care system is facing a severe situation (according to Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister of coronavirus measures, former amateur boxer of Tokyo University). Accordingly, the following boxing shows have been re-scheduled as follows:
June 7 @Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Japanese 105-pound title bout
Masataka Taniguchi vs. Tatsuro Nakajima
OPBF female 105-pound title bout for vacant title
Yuko Kuroki vs. Mizuki Chimoto
Japanese female 118-pound title bout
Kanako Taniyama vs. Yuko Henzan
June 10 @Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Japanese 140-pound title bout
Daishi Nagata vs. Masahiro Suzuki
June 21 @Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Japanese, WBO AP 115-pound title bout
Ryoji Fukunaga vs. Takahiro Fujii
June 24 @Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
WBO AP 112-pound title bout
Ryota Yamauchi vs. Yuta Nakayama
June 29 @Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
WBO female world 115-pound title bout
Tomoko Okuda vs. Miyo Yoshida
July 14 @Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
WBO AP 105-pound title bout
Ginjiro Shigeoka vs. Toshiki Kawamitsu
July 21 @Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Japanese 112-pound title bout
Seigo Yuri Akui vs. Taku Kuwahara
July 23 @Edion Arena, Osaka
WBO AP 108-pound title bout
Riku Kano vs. Takumi Sakae
WBO AP 160-pound title bout
Yuki Nonaka vs. Koki Koshikawa
July 26 @Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
Japanese 118-pound title bout
Kyosuke Sawada vs. Ikuro Sadatsune
Foreign boxers are not yet allowed to enter and work professionally under the pandemic with British and/or Indian coronavirus variants still increasing. All the shows listed above, therefore, are confrontations of Japanese compatriots. Under such an unstable pandemic situation our government is forcibly proceeding and preparing for the Olympic Games here from July 23 until August 8 with the Paralympics to follow afterward.