Boxing
What Champions Do: Teraji and Akui Deliver Early Fight of the Year
WBC Flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji and his countryman, WBA Flyweight champion Seigo Yuri Akui of Japan both deserved to win their unification title fight at the Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo.on Thursday.
The true winners were the boxing fans who woke up in the dark to watch the sensational action in what will surely be a 2025 Fight of the Year candidate.
Kenshiro Teraji is now a unified flyweight world champion. Photo: Naoki Fukuda
After 12 rounds of flat-out combat, Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs) dug as deep as any boxer could in the final round to score the knockout win over Akui (21-3, 11 KOs).
Teraji gave due respect to his opponent Akui, who would have won a split decision had the fight gone to the scorecards if he won the round, and would have shared a majority draw had Teraji won the final round. Cards at the time of the stoppage were 105-104 twice for Akui, and 106-103 for Teraji.
“Yuri was a very, very tough opponent,” said Teraji. “This was a rare opportunity to unify titles, Japanese against Japanese. I barely got this victory. This was heart vs. heart.”
‘Amazing Boy’ Teraji Lives Up To His Nickname
Seigo Yrui Akui imposed his size on Kenshiro Teraji early in the fight. Photo: Naoki Fukuda
Although Teraji was the favorite going into the fight, no one expected it to be easy. But few expected Akui to push and punish Teraji the way he did.
It was an action-packed offensive fight from the opening bell. Any description of the round-by-round action defies capturing the wow factor of the speed, accuracy, and drive of both men to win.
Akui was the far bigger man in the ring, and he used his size to cut the distance and come at Teraji. Teraji relied more on his footwork, moving in to land left jabs and power punches on Akui, then stepping back out of danger – but not always successfully.
Both men worked in uppercuts as the fight got rolling, trying to gain ground with an element of surprise. It made for a fight in a phone booth, and the Japanese fans were all about it.
Akui showed he meant business and wasn’t going to fade by landing hard combinations and dishing out a good amount of punishment in rounds three through five. Teraji seemed to take it as well as possible and kept coming forward.
In round five, Akui’s combination punching was the story, as Teraji could not keep up with the punches coming at him. Teraji stepped back often to try and regroup, but Akui cut the ring off well, forcing Teraji to fight more than he may have wanted in certain spots.
At this point of the fight, Akui paused the pace to catch his breath. Teraji seized the opportunity for some get back and went hard to the body of Akui. Akui was forced to respond and made Teraji pay with several big shots.
Teraji Behind After Six Rounds, Doubles Down
Did Kenshiro Teraji know he was behind on the scorecards?
After six rounds, Akui was ahead 59-55, 58-56, and 57-57. If Teraji and his corner realized it, they had to find something extra.
The seventh round goes on your 2025 Round of the Year shortlist. Both fighters made the call to see if they could end the combat early and went hard at each other. It was the turning point in a close fight.
Teraji appeared rejuvenated and more determined to push back on Akui’s success so far. He had more success with his combination punching, although Akui was far from out of the fight and forced Teraji back more than once.
The rest of the fight was competitive, and the remaining rounds were all extremely tough to score. Still, there was a sense Akui was wearing down and Teraji had a bit more left in the tank.
In the final round, Teraji did what champions do and found a little extra. He buzzed Akui with a straight right hand. It gave him the motivation to push for the stoppage he badly needed. He threw a right uppercut and another hard straight right. As referee Katsuhiko Nakamura watched the combat, he stepped in and stopped the fight at 1:31 of the round.
Referee Stoppage Was The Right Call
Seigo Yuri Akui and Kenshiro Teraji are both likely to move up a division. Photo: Naoki Fukuda
It didn’t initially appear Akui was in that much trouble. But when Nakamura stopped the fight, Akui collapsed in his arms. He barely made it to the corner, covered in cuts, welts, and bloody. He was just as emotionally spent as physically spent, appearing to sob over the loss.
Teraji now holds two belts. It’s not likely he will pursue a third in the flyweight division. He and Akui talked about moving up to super flyweight during fight week. We’d welcome a rematch at super flyweight when both men are up to it.
We encourage you to watch the entire fight, but you can enjoy the highlights here.
Olascuaga Scores Victory Over Kyoguchi
WBO Flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga of Los Angeles (9-1, 6 KOs) kept his belt after a narrow win in his second title defense against determined two-weight world champion Hiroto Kyoguchi of Japan (19-3, 12 KOs).
See the fight highlights here.
The outcome was in doubt as it appeared Kyoguchi’s tremendous effort might give him a narrow victory, even after Olascagua scored a knockdown in the 11th round.. But the scorecards were 118-109, 117-111, and 114-113 all in favor of the Californian.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get a knockout today. This guy is a very tough guy,” said Olascuaga after his win. “I had to box when I needed to box. I thought I fought a smart fight, but I wish I could’ve done more.
“He was a fun fighter to compete with. He has heart. I have honor and respect towards my opponent.”
With stablemate and world champion Junto Nakatani accompanying Olascagua and in his corner during the fight, he needed all the support he could get as Kyoguchi gave him the business.
The veteran Japanese fighter entered the ring to Sarah Brightman’s version of “Time To Say Goodbye,” and he took the theme to heart. He landed the best power punches of the night and fought a smart, calculated fight.
But the American nicknamed “Princesa” was smarter, and had the advantage of being the younger, fresher man. He made it a boxing match and used his footwork to avoid the worst of what Kyoguchi threw at him. The surprising knockdown helped him in Round 11. It was admittedly a flash knockdown that didn’t seriously hurt Kyoguchi, but the scorecards don’t know the difference.
Although there’s no argument with the decision, two of the three scorecards were far too wide and don’t reflect the effort by Kyoguchi, perhaps going out on his shield.
Puerto Rico Has New Champion: Rene Santiago
In the upset of the night, Rene Santiago became Puerto Rico’s newest world champion, defeating Shokichi Iwata of Japan to win the WBO Light Flyweight title.
See fight highlights here.
In a determined, masterful performance, it was clear Santiago (13-4, 9 KOs) deserved to win on the scorecards. Initially, the referee seemed to raise Iwata’s hand. But when it became clear Santiago was the winner after a moment, he roared in victory as he and his team celebrated their victory. Scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 116-112.
“I want to thank god and thank the country of Japan for having me. I’m ready to bring my belt back home,” said Santiago.
“I was fully prepared for this bout against Iwata, we had a gameplay which we executed to perfection. I want to take a good rest and figure out what the next step is, but I’d love to come back to Japan.”
It was Santiago’s second try at winning a world title. Iwata (14-2, 11 KOs) got off to a strong start, but Santiago figured out his opponent and roared back, dominating the second half of the fight. He was the more energetic man and counterpunched Iwata to perfection to roll up rounds on the cards.
