Ricardo Sandoval produced the performance of his life in Yokohama on Wednesday, surviving a fifth-round knockdown to edge hometown idol Kenshiro Teraji by split decision and capture the WBA and WBC flyweight titles. Scores of 115-112 and a wide 117-110 overrode a 114-113 card for the Japanese star, handing the 26-year-old Californian a career-defining upset and ending Teraji’s seven-fight winning run.
From the opening bell Sandoval used a spearing jab and clever footwork to keep the celebrated two-division champion at long range. Teraji, famed for late surges, found an opening in round five when a right hand dropped the challenger and momentarily flipped the bout’s script. Yet instead of folding, Sandoval regrouped, regained his rhythm in the middle sessions and banked rounds with crisp combinations while Teraji struggled to close the distance.
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The champion rallied down the stretch, rocking Sandoval with body shots and uppercuts in the final two frames, but the challenger’s early lead and constant jab were enough to withstand the charge. When Jimmy Lennon Jr. announced “and the NEW,” Sandoval’s corner erupted as Teraji managed only a rueful smile.
Sandoval extends a seven-fight win streak and becomes a unified title-holder at his first attempt. Teraji drops to 25-2 (16 KOs) and surrenders the belts he unified in March against Seigo Yuri Akui. The result halts the 33-year-old’s run toward pound-for-pound status and hands Japan its most significant championship upset since Hozumi Hasegawa’s defeat in 2011.
“This is for my family and my team,” Sandoval said. “We trained for every fight like it was a world championship - and tonight it finally was.”
Teraji, who has rebounded from defeat before, faces a decision whether to chase an immediate rematch or regroup in a division suddenly under new management. Sandoval, meanwhile, holds two of the four major belts and a signature win over one of the sport’s most accomplished technicians.
Image Credit: Golden Boy