By Joe Koizumi

Unbeaten WBC light-flyweight champ Kenshiro Teraji (17-0, 10 KOs), a Japanese speedster, will defend his belt against #1 ranked compatriot Tetsuya Hisada (34-10-2, 20 KOs) in Osaka, Japan, on April 24. It was publicly announced by Shinsei Promotions under the WBC’s sanction today (Monday).

Originally slated on December 19, Teraji’s personal scandal forced the title bout to be cancelled inevitably. Teraji, then heavily drunk, entered another person’s garage without permission, battered and hurt a car therein last July. Although the scandal was already settled out of court between Teraji and the owner of the damaged vehicle, the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) severely suspended Teraji for three months from December 1 to February 28 and also fined 3,000,000 Yen (some $28,570 with the currency rate of 105 Yen for USD).

Now that Teraji’s suspension is over, his eighth defense has been hereby announced at a hotel in Osaka. Teraji apologized for his personal deed, saying, “I feel sorry to have the previously scheduled title bout with Hisada cancelled and bothered people concerned with my own wrongdoing. I appreciate this title bout with Hisada hereby re-scheduled, and will display a good showing with my faithful training.”

Teraji, seven years his junior at 29, was also ordered by the JBC to do social contributions for less than two hundred hours within six months after the punishment, and he has reportedly done eighty-five hour social works. The fight itself will be a competitive one despite the champ’s misdemeanor.