Nishida to defend IBF title in December
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Back in September we reported that the Thai media had reported that IBF Bantamweight champion Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, 1) [西田凌佑] would be making his first defense against Anuchai Donsua (16-0, 7) in December. Earlier today, after several weeks of waiting, that bout was officially announced at a very interesting press conference which announced the bout, several under-card bouts and an unexpected broadcaster as it becomes clear a showdown between Nishida and WBC champion Junto Nakatani (29-0, 22) [中谷 潤人] could be in the works for the new year.
The event, held at the Hotel Nikko Osaka, in Osaka, confirmed that the Nishida Vs Donsua bout will take place on December 15th in Osaka, as the Thai reports had stated, with the specific venue being the Sumiyoshi Sports Center in Osaka.
What was unexpected was that the broadcaster will not be Abema, as many had expected, but instead U-Next, in what will be their first world title fight, suggesting that whilst Nishida’s title win was on an Abema broadcast and a 3150 Fight show, he’s not tied to the Koki Kameda lead outfit. U-Next are best known for showing the newly rebranded Dynamic Glove series of shows, now going under the "Who's Next Dynamic Glove on U-next" moniker. Dynamic Glove has long been a Teiken/Yokohama Hikari lead series, and whilst this event won’t be held as a Dynamic Glove branded show, it does show that Muto are not tied to 3150 as many had assumed. Instead of being a Dynamic Glove show, or even a “You Will Be The Champion”, as many Muto shows are, the card is currently listed as being "U-Next Boxing".
For Nishida this will be his first defense of the IBF title as he looks to build on a big year that saw him claim the title in May. Sadly he has been out of action since winning the belt, but has been busy getting his face out there and building his profile, regularly attending fights by other Bantamweight champions. Prior to that win, Nishida really wasn’t a name and had had to fight hard to earn a mandatory IBF title fight, without having high profile bouts to create some buzz. He had notched wins over Daigo Higa and Shohei Omori, both in his first 4 bouts, but was still something of a hidden gem, even within Japan.
As for Donsua he’s something of an unknown outside of Thailand and doesn’t have much quality on his record with his most notable wins coming against Komgrich Nantapech and Sukpraserd Ponpitak. The Thai has only been a professional since mid 2022 and has been active, with 18 bouts in 2 and a half years, but they have been at a very, very low level.
Talking about the contest Takashi Edagawa explained "In the bantamweight division, there are four world champions, and although it was delayed, we are finally able to hold the first defense match. Mukojima Gym has held 15 world title matches to date. When Nagoya (Nobuo Nashiro) first won the world title in his eighth professional fight, we weren't sure how to go about holding a world match, so we asked the previous chairman of Osaka Teiken Gym, and with the efforts of Teiken Gym Chairman Honda Akihiko, we were able to make it a world match. Since then, we have had various world matches, and this time, Chairman Honda called us, and we are able to hold this event, so I feel like I've come home to my old home." Further showing a potential working relationship between Muto and Teiken, who are one of Nakatani's promoters.
What was also unexpected was a strong under-card, especially given the show that saw Nishida win the title against Emmanuel Rodriguez was paper thin, with 6 of the undercard bouts being 5 rounds and the other being an 8 rounder.
For this card the chief support bout will be a rematch between Japanese Middleweight champion, Riku Kunimoto (12-1, 6) [国本陸] and WBO Asia Pacific champion Kazuto Takesako (17-2-1, 15) [竹迫司登], with only Takesako’s title being announced as being on the line. That bout has only been made possible for this show due to the collapse of the Prize Fighter Japan tournament, where the two were supposed to face each in the semi-finals before they were released from their Matchroom contracts as the competition fell apart (more about that here). Notably Kunimoto is a stablemate of Nishida at the Muto Gym, with both being promoted by Takashi Edagawa, who will serve as the promoter of this event.
Kunimoto and Takesako have fought before, with Takesako stopping Kunimoto back in 2021 to retain the Japanese title. Since then Takesako has gone 4-2 whilst Kunimoto is unbeaten with 8 straight wins.
Talking about both Nishida and Kunimoto Edagawa explained "From now on, we have not only Nishida, but also Kunimoto Riku and other young boxers, so we want to work hard to be able to compete in a world match. This is the first world match to be held on U-NEXT. If he (Nishida) stumbles here, he won't be able to move on to the next one. I want Nishida to perform at his best. I've had a lot of people say, 'I was moved by your last match.' I want him to perform in a match that will impress people this time as well, and do his best to unify the bantamweight division of the four organizations."
Sadly however Edagawa did seem to put the Kibosh on a bout with Nakatani but did hope to land other unification bouts, explaining "I don't think Nakatani will fight him because he's going up (super bantamweight) to fight Inoue (Naoya Inoue = Ohashi). The best thing would be for the other champions to unify the three organizations and hold a U-NEXT in Osaka, which would be great. I want to liven up Osaka."
Of course it's not just the world champions at 118lbs that are of interest, with Nishida being asked about Tenshin Nasukawa, and saying he was interested in the bout, explaining he liked the option if he can't get a fellow world champion in 2025 "He has speed and thinks about his boxing. If we can't have a title unification match, I want to fight Nasukawa."
Arguably an even better under-card bout is a showdown at Light Flyweight as OPBF champion Thanongsak Simsri (36-1, 33) defends his belt against former world champion Masataka Taniguchi (19-4, 13) [谷口将隆], in what could be a genuine firecracker.
Despite being a Thai Simsri is best known for his fights in Japan. The 24 year old made his Japanese debut in 2019, stopping Richard Sueno, and has now had 7 fights in Japan. These include a notable win over Christian Bacolod, a 2022 loss to current world champion Masamichi Yabuki, his OPBF title win in 2024 against Miel Fajardo and his first OPBF title defense, this past August against John Paul Gabunilas. A win over Taniguchi would be the biggest of his career, and almost certainly open the doors to a 2025 world title bout for the hard hitting Thai.
As for Taniguchi the former WBO Minimumweight champion is someone who seems to be fighting for his career every time he is in the ring. He held the WBO title for a little over a year, winning it in late 2021 and making a single defense before losing it at the start of 2023. Since then he has gone 3-0 (2), with his latest win coming in October against Thai veteran Pai Pharob, who he stopped in 6 rounds. Taniguchi is a talented fighter, but at 30 and with 4 losses to his name, he really can ill afford another loss here if he hopes to reclaim world champion status.
The event, held at the Hotel Nikko Osaka, in Osaka, confirmed that the Nishida Vs Donsua bout will take place on December 15th in Osaka, as the Thai reports had stated, with the specific venue being the Sumiyoshi Sports Center in Osaka.
What was unexpected was that the broadcaster will not be Abema, as many had expected, but instead U-Next, in what will be their first world title fight, suggesting that whilst Nishida’s title win was on an Abema broadcast and a 3150 Fight show, he’s not tied to the Koki Kameda lead outfit. U-Next are best known for showing the newly rebranded Dynamic Glove series of shows, now going under the "Who's Next Dynamic Glove on U-next" moniker. Dynamic Glove has long been a Teiken/Yokohama Hikari lead series, and whilst this event won’t be held as a Dynamic Glove branded show, it does show that Muto are not tied to 3150 as many had assumed. Instead of being a Dynamic Glove show, or even a “You Will Be The Champion”, as many Muto shows are, the card is currently listed as being "U-Next Boxing".
For Nishida this will be his first defense of the IBF title as he looks to build on a big year that saw him claim the title in May. Sadly he has been out of action since winning the belt, but has been busy getting his face out there and building his profile, regularly attending fights by other Bantamweight champions. Prior to that win, Nishida really wasn’t a name and had had to fight hard to earn a mandatory IBF title fight, without having high profile bouts to create some buzz. He had notched wins over Daigo Higa and Shohei Omori, both in his first 4 bouts, but was still something of a hidden gem, even within Japan.
As for Donsua he’s something of an unknown outside of Thailand and doesn’t have much quality on his record with his most notable wins coming against Komgrich Nantapech and Sukpraserd Ponpitak. The Thai has only been a professional since mid 2022 and has been active, with 18 bouts in 2 and a half years, but they have been at a very, very low level.
Talking about the contest Takashi Edagawa explained "In the bantamweight division, there are four world champions, and although it was delayed, we are finally able to hold the first defense match. Mukojima Gym has held 15 world title matches to date. When Nagoya (Nobuo Nashiro) first won the world title in his eighth professional fight, we weren't sure how to go about holding a world match, so we asked the previous chairman of Osaka Teiken Gym, and with the efforts of Teiken Gym Chairman Honda Akihiko, we were able to make it a world match. Since then, we have had various world matches, and this time, Chairman Honda called us, and we are able to hold this event, so I feel like I've come home to my old home." Further showing a potential working relationship between Muto and Teiken, who are one of Nakatani's promoters.
What was also unexpected was a strong under-card, especially given the show that saw Nishida win the title against Emmanuel Rodriguez was paper thin, with 6 of the undercard bouts being 5 rounds and the other being an 8 rounder.
For this card the chief support bout will be a rematch between Japanese Middleweight champion, Riku Kunimoto (12-1, 6) [国本陸] and WBO Asia Pacific champion Kazuto Takesako (17-2-1, 15) [竹迫司登], with only Takesako’s title being announced as being on the line. That bout has only been made possible for this show due to the collapse of the Prize Fighter Japan tournament, where the two were supposed to face each in the semi-finals before they were released from their Matchroom contracts as the competition fell apart (more about that here). Notably Kunimoto is a stablemate of Nishida at the Muto Gym, with both being promoted by Takashi Edagawa, who will serve as the promoter of this event.
Kunimoto and Takesako have fought before, with Takesako stopping Kunimoto back in 2021 to retain the Japanese title. Since then Takesako has gone 4-2 whilst Kunimoto is unbeaten with 8 straight wins.
Talking about both Nishida and Kunimoto Edagawa explained "From now on, we have not only Nishida, but also Kunimoto Riku and other young boxers, so we want to work hard to be able to compete in a world match. This is the first world match to be held on U-NEXT. If he (Nishida) stumbles here, he won't be able to move on to the next one. I want Nishida to perform at his best. I've had a lot of people say, 'I was moved by your last match.' I want him to perform in a match that will impress people this time as well, and do his best to unify the bantamweight division of the four organizations."
Sadly however Edagawa did seem to put the Kibosh on a bout with Nakatani but did hope to land other unification bouts, explaining "I don't think Nakatani will fight him because he's going up (super bantamweight) to fight Inoue (Naoya Inoue = Ohashi). The best thing would be for the other champions to unify the three organizations and hold a U-NEXT in Osaka, which would be great. I want to liven up Osaka."
Of course it's not just the world champions at 118lbs that are of interest, with Nishida being asked about Tenshin Nasukawa, and saying he was interested in the bout, explaining he liked the option if he can't get a fellow world champion in 2025 "He has speed and thinks about his boxing. If we can't have a title unification match, I want to fight Nasukawa."
Arguably an even better under-card bout is a showdown at Light Flyweight as OPBF champion Thanongsak Simsri (36-1, 33) defends his belt against former world champion Masataka Taniguchi (19-4, 13) [谷口将隆], in what could be a genuine firecracker.
Despite being a Thai Simsri is best known for his fights in Japan. The 24 year old made his Japanese debut in 2019, stopping Richard Sueno, and has now had 7 fights in Japan. These include a notable win over Christian Bacolod, a 2022 loss to current world champion Masamichi Yabuki, his OPBF title win in 2024 against Miel Fajardo and his first OPBF title defense, this past August against John Paul Gabunilas. A win over Taniguchi would be the biggest of his career, and almost certainly open the doors to a 2025 world title bout for the hard hitting Thai.
As for Taniguchi the former WBO Minimumweight champion is someone who seems to be fighting for his career every time he is in the ring. He held the WBO title for a little over a year, winning it in late 2021 and making a single defense before losing it at the start of 2023. Since then he has gone 3-0 (2), with his latest win coming in October against Thai veteran Pai Pharob, who he stopped in 6 rounds. Taniguchi is a talented fighter, but at 30 and with 4 losses to his name, he really can ill afford another loss here if he hopes to reclaim world champion status.