Kenshiro Teraji (21-1, 13 KOs) is set to put his triple crown of the Ring Magazine, WBA, and WBC junior flyweight titles on the line against WBC mandatory challenger Hekkie Budler (35-4, 11 KOs) at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
The trajectory of Teraji’s boxing career has been nothing short of impressive. Teraji bagged the Japanese and OPBF titles within his first eight fights. The “Amazing Boy” ascended quickly to the world scene, securing the WBC title in May 2017, and has since been steadily improving. His boxing prowess, however, was truly tested when he lost his unbeaten record to Masamichi Yabuki due to an ill-timed comeback from COVID-19. Teraji rebounded remarkably, retaking the title from Yabuki and then seizing the Ring and WBA titles from the unbeaten Hiroto Kyoguchi.
On the other hand, Budler, standing as the Ring-rated No. 2 junior flyweight, brings a strong record to the ring. He clinched the vacant WBA strawweight title in 2014 and followed with a successful move to junior flyweight, overcoming Ryoichi Taguchi for the Ring, IBF, and WBA titles. Aged 34, Budler used his considerable experience to edge past Elwin Soto in a WBC title eliminator, showcasing his still potent skill set.
Notably, in the co-main event, WBO junior bantamweight titleholder Junto Nakatani (25-0, 19 KOs) is primed for his first defense against Argi Cortes (25-3-2, 10 KOs).
Nakatani, the Ring-rated No. 3 junior bantamweight, carries an unblemished record. Despite the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Nakatani has made two successful defenses, including an American debut victory. His recent conquest of Andrew Moloney for the vacant WBO title highlights his impressive trajectory. Meanwhile, Cortes, despite a rocky start to his career, has rebounded strongly to earn this coveted opportunity.
Fight card:
▪️Kenshiro Teraji vs. Hekkie Budler, 12 rounds, for Teraji’s WBC and WBA junior flyweight title ▪️Junto Nakatano vs. Argi Cortes, 12 rounds, for Nakatani’s WBO junior bantamweight title ▪️Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Luis Guzman, 8 rounds, junior featherweight ▪️Anthony Olascuaga vs. Giemel Magramo, 8 rounds, junior flyweight ▪️Takumu Tamagawa vs. Hayato Yokoyama, 4 rounds, junior featherweight
