Ricardo Sandoval waited a very long time to get his first world title shot, and he made it depend, scoring a surprising upset win over Kenshiro Teraji in Yokohama, Japan, to win the WBC and WBA flyweight titles.
The outcome will likely be debated, as Sandoval (27-2, 18 KO) got here off the canvas to win a cut up determination on two playing cards of 115-112 and 117-110, with Teraji (25-2, 16 KO) successful the opposite card, 114-113. Unhealthy Left Hook unofficially scored the battle for Teraji, 114-113.
The 117-110 card for Sandoval will actually increase some eyebrows, and got here from British-born decide Joseph Gwilt, who resides in Thailand and does most of his work in that nation. By BoxRec, it seems to be simply the second world title battle in Gwilt’s brief historical past as a decide.
Polish decide Leszek Jankowiak additionally had the battle for Sandoval, although by a rating extra will most likely see as cheap in a battle that might have gone both manner, whereas one other Polish decide, Pawel Kardyni, scored it for Teraji, with that tally additionally seeming cheap.
Teraji, 33, will possible search a rematch, although he left the ring with out remark. The final time he misplaced a battle, an upset stoppage in opposition to Masamichi Yabuki in 2021, he returned six months later to get revenge, knocking Yabuki out in three.
However Teraji is getting up there in years for a smaller divisions fighter, and the 26-year-old Sandoval could also be simply hitting his stride, with this efficiency and victory absolutely making him much more assured going ahead. And when you might disagree with Gwilt’s scoring, there’s no taking away that Sandoval fought his coronary heart out on this one, gave Teraji an incredible battle, and had at least a high-quality argument for the victory. This was no theft, it’s simply one of many three playing cards being slightly questionable within the tally, and even then, it’s potential loads of different individuals received’t see it that manner.
How did you rating the battle?
Undercard outcomes
Antonio Vargas retained his WBA bantamweight title by combating Daigo Higa to the truest draw you’ll ever see, with all three judges returning even rating playing cards, 113-113. Higa (21-3-3, 19 KO) scored a fourth spherical knockdown, however Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KO) obtained that again with a knockdown of his personal late within the twelfth and remaining spherical, and it really was a battle too near confidently name, I believe.
Vargas proved he can grasp at precise world degree — he hadn’t but actually fought at precise world degree — and for Higa it’s one other in what must be a genuinely irritating run, as he’s 0-1-2 in his final three fights, and the battle he misplaced was intently scored, too. All of them have been bantamweight world title fights.
Kyosuke Takami had a breakout efficiency, stopping Erick Rosa at 2:48 of the tenth spherical to take the WBA gentle flyweight title. It was a superb exhibiting from the 23-year-old Takami (10-0, 8 KO), whose energy seems very actual at a world degree. Rosa (8-1, 2 KO) had some good moments on this battle and is a top quality boxer, and he ate a variety of photographs alongside the best way to indicate how powerful he’s, too, however Takami’s workrate, crispness, and energy have been simply an excessive amount of, and eventually the Dominican crumbled.
Takami is completely one to observe at 108 and maybe past, he’s large for the division, has an offensive-minded model, and a really skilled method, none of Rosa’s sport plan actually labored out as a result of Takami responded effectively to all of his greatest moments. Only a actually good efficiency from the younger man.
