WBO flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga will defend his title against Jukiya Iimura on March 15 at the Yokohama Buntai in Yokohama, Japan. The bout was originally scheduled for December 17 before Iimura withdrew, and now headlines a card that will stream on U-NEXT in Japan, with international broadcast details still to be confirmed.
Olascuaga enters his first fight of the year after a breakout 2025 that established him among the division’s elite. After an early-career title loss to Kenshiro Teraji, the 27-year-old rebounded strongly, winning the vacant WBO belt in July 2024 and going on to notch four defenses, including wins over former champions Jonathan Gonzalez and Hiroto Kyoguchi.
Challenger Jukiya Iimura has rebuilt his career since suffering a stoppage loss in 2022. The Japanese contender captured the national title, defended it three times, then claimed the OPBF belt, avenging his only defeat with a 12-round decision over Esneth Domingo. Now ranked among the top flyweights, Iimura gets his first world title opportunity.
The co-main event features a quick turnaround for veteran former champion Nonito Donaire, who returns after a narrow loss to WBA bantamweight titleholder Seiya Tsutsumi. Donaire will face hard-hitting Riku Masuda, a fighter 15 years his junior, as the future Hall of Famer continues his remarkable late-career run.
The card also includes a WBC junior flyweight title fight, as Knockout CP Freshmart makes the first defense of his belt against former WBO champion Shokichi Iwata, plus a strawweight rematch between Ryusei Matsumoto and Yuni Takada following their controversial first meeting last September.
Image Credit: Sky Sports