Kenshiro wants Bam next!
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Yesterday in Tokyo we had a sensational show, headlined by former unified Light Flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji (25-1, 16) [寺地 拳四朗] overcoming Seigo Yuri Akui (21-3-1, 11) [阿久井政悟] to unify the WBC and WBA Flyweight titles, becoming only the second ever Japanese man to unify world titles. Today both fighters attended press conferences to speak about the fight and their future.
It was confirmed, prior to the press conference, that Akui had gone to hospital following the fight, but was released and in good spirits at the press event. There he explained "I was in good shape. Yesterday, I tried to outdo Kenshiro by attacking from the first round, but I got hit hard at the end. My corner told me, "We're competing!" So I thought whoever took the 12th round would win, and went for the knockout. I tried to finish him off so well that if I lost, it would be unavoidable, but I wasn't strong enough." Before adding "I think I did everything I could. I was able to show my feelings."
One of the big issues after their bout was the stoppage, however Akui himself was completely fine with it, explaining "I was aiming for a (counter) but I was hit, so it can't be helped. The fact that I was able to leave the ring safely is a big deal. I have nothing to say about the stoppage." Notably his promoter Tatsuya Moriyasu, president of Kurashiki Moriyasu Gym, said, "I thought it was a little early” but seemed to have no genuine issue with it either. Before Akui once again praised Kenshiro, "He had the experience and ability to change tactics midway through the fight, and the guts and stamina to finish him off in the end. Kenshiro is the strongest,"
As for the future, Akui perhaps made a wise decision, explaining "Right now, I want to spend time with my family. I'm not sure if I'll move to the super flyweight division yet. I want to take it easy now.". Given that the last 14 months has seen him fight 4 bouts, all going into round 12, those being his world title win against Artem Dalakian, his defenses against Taku Kuwahara and Thananchai Charunphak, and his loss to Kenshiro, a break really is well deserved.
As for Kenshiro, he spoke more about what he wants to do in the ring going forward, and the main focus seems to be more big fights. Notable he was direct about what he wants, and that’s to make a move to 115lbs and fight the biggest name there, saying "I want to fight Bam.", alluding to Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (21-0, 14) the current WBC Super Flyweight champion and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
Talking about his win he explained "Yuri was really strong. I wasn't thinking about points, but I was determined to win the final round, so I'm glad I was able to go all the way in the end. I was able to fight fair and square."
Interestingly Kenshiro’s trainer, Kenta Kato, spoke at depth about the gameplan his charge used, saying "After watching the video, I saw that he wouldn't win if he backed down, so the most important thing was that he didn't back down easily. However, he returned punches assuming he would be hit, and I could sense Yuri's determination. I think this determination wasn't something he'd had for the past two or three months since the match was decided, but one that came from when we sparred together. He was stronger than I imagined, including his spirit. He had a good feeling in the fourth round, but he wasn't something he could bounce back from in the fifth round, so I gave instructions to change the tempo from the eighth round."
Whilst Bam is Kenshiro’s ideal opponent, he was asked about a clash with WBO Flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga (9-1, 6), and didn’t seem too excited by the idea, but wasn’t dead again it, saying, "I don't think there's any merit to a rematch since we've already fought once. However, if it's decided, I'd like to do it well. It all depends on the situation." Before he returned to talking about a move to Super Flyweight for Bam, explaining "I don't think I’ll feel the difference in physique even if I move up to the super flyweight class. I want to fight Bam, so I hope it's decided."
Having just mentioned the WBO champion, he also attended a press conference, with Olascuaga saying about his bout "I wasn't just going forward, I was able to fight while skillfully using my jab. Kyoguchi was a great opponent and a nice guy. After the match, he said to me, 'Now we're friends,'" He was joined by legendary trainer Rudy Hernandez, who added "Because we have high expectations, one of the most important things is for him to defeat the strongest opponent and delight the fans with a top performance. Yesterday, Tony seemed more like a boxer than a fighter. However, he still managed to win."
Talking about his ambitions, Olascuaga revealed he wanted a WBO ring, and isn’t too sure what the future plans regarding title fights is "I don't know whether the title unification fight in the future will be with Kenshiro or the champion at the time, but if the chance arises, I would like to fight. I want the WBO ring, so first I would like to defend it five times." he plans to return to the US next week, and then hopes to attend one of the up coming MLB games at the Tokyo Dome.
One new world champion was crowned yesterday, and that was Rene Santiago (13-5, 9), who took the WBO Light Flyweight title from Shokichi Iwata (14-2, 11) [岩田翔吉] in a notably upset that really showed what an excellent and versatile fighter Santiago was, despite coming under a lot of earlier pressure. He also took part in a press conference and explained "I feel very happy and delighted right now. I thank God for giving me this opportunity in this beautiful country. My dream has come true to be able to bring the belt back to the WBO headquarters. I'm grateful to my promoters." He then spoke about Iwata, explaining "He was very powerful and aggressive. I gave it my all in the ring. I used high-quality boxing and played a clever game, which allowed me to win."
Iwata on the other hand was less than happy about the result, and when asked about the scoring he stated "To be honest, I wonder if this is 'boxing?' I was hit with some small punches, but does moving around all the time count for points? I can't put it into words well, but I don't think it's the 'boxing' I think it is." His trainer, and former world champion himself, Takahiro Ao, went on to say "I think he could have done more, but he did his best."
It was confirmed, prior to the press conference, that Akui had gone to hospital following the fight, but was released and in good spirits at the press event. There he explained "I was in good shape. Yesterday, I tried to outdo Kenshiro by attacking from the first round, but I got hit hard at the end. My corner told me, "We're competing!" So I thought whoever took the 12th round would win, and went for the knockout. I tried to finish him off so well that if I lost, it would be unavoidable, but I wasn't strong enough." Before adding "I think I did everything I could. I was able to show my feelings."
One of the big issues after their bout was the stoppage, however Akui himself was completely fine with it, explaining "I was aiming for a (counter) but I was hit, so it can't be helped. The fact that I was able to leave the ring safely is a big deal. I have nothing to say about the stoppage." Notably his promoter Tatsuya Moriyasu, president of Kurashiki Moriyasu Gym, said, "I thought it was a little early” but seemed to have no genuine issue with it either. Before Akui once again praised Kenshiro, "He had the experience and ability to change tactics midway through the fight, and the guts and stamina to finish him off in the end. Kenshiro is the strongest,"
As for the future, Akui perhaps made a wise decision, explaining "Right now, I want to spend time with my family. I'm not sure if I'll move to the super flyweight division yet. I want to take it easy now.". Given that the last 14 months has seen him fight 4 bouts, all going into round 12, those being his world title win against Artem Dalakian, his defenses against Taku Kuwahara and Thananchai Charunphak, and his loss to Kenshiro, a break really is well deserved.
As for Kenshiro, he spoke more about what he wants to do in the ring going forward, and the main focus seems to be more big fights. Notable he was direct about what he wants, and that’s to make a move to 115lbs and fight the biggest name there, saying "I want to fight Bam.", alluding to Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez (21-0, 14) the current WBC Super Flyweight champion and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
Talking about his win he explained "Yuri was really strong. I wasn't thinking about points, but I was determined to win the final round, so I'm glad I was able to go all the way in the end. I was able to fight fair and square."
Interestingly Kenshiro’s trainer, Kenta Kato, spoke at depth about the gameplan his charge used, saying "After watching the video, I saw that he wouldn't win if he backed down, so the most important thing was that he didn't back down easily. However, he returned punches assuming he would be hit, and I could sense Yuri's determination. I think this determination wasn't something he'd had for the past two or three months since the match was decided, but one that came from when we sparred together. He was stronger than I imagined, including his spirit. He had a good feeling in the fourth round, but he wasn't something he could bounce back from in the fifth round, so I gave instructions to change the tempo from the eighth round."
Whilst Bam is Kenshiro’s ideal opponent, he was asked about a clash with WBO Flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga (9-1, 6), and didn’t seem too excited by the idea, but wasn’t dead again it, saying, "I don't think there's any merit to a rematch since we've already fought once. However, if it's decided, I'd like to do it well. It all depends on the situation." Before he returned to talking about a move to Super Flyweight for Bam, explaining "I don't think I’ll feel the difference in physique even if I move up to the super flyweight class. I want to fight Bam, so I hope it's decided."
Having just mentioned the WBO champion, he also attended a press conference, with Olascuaga saying about his bout "I wasn't just going forward, I was able to fight while skillfully using my jab. Kyoguchi was a great opponent and a nice guy. After the match, he said to me, 'Now we're friends,'" He was joined by legendary trainer Rudy Hernandez, who added "Because we have high expectations, one of the most important things is for him to defeat the strongest opponent and delight the fans with a top performance. Yesterday, Tony seemed more like a boxer than a fighter. However, he still managed to win."
Talking about his ambitions, Olascuaga revealed he wanted a WBO ring, and isn’t too sure what the future plans regarding title fights is "I don't know whether the title unification fight in the future will be with Kenshiro or the champion at the time, but if the chance arises, I would like to fight. I want the WBO ring, so first I would like to defend it five times." he plans to return to the US next week, and then hopes to attend one of the up coming MLB games at the Tokyo Dome.
One new world champion was crowned yesterday, and that was Rene Santiago (13-5, 9), who took the WBO Light Flyweight title from Shokichi Iwata (14-2, 11) [岩田翔吉] in a notably upset that really showed what an excellent and versatile fighter Santiago was, despite coming under a lot of earlier pressure. He also took part in a press conference and explained "I feel very happy and delighted right now. I thank God for giving me this opportunity in this beautiful country. My dream has come true to be able to bring the belt back to the WBO headquarters. I'm grateful to my promoters." He then spoke about Iwata, explaining "He was very powerful and aggressive. I gave it my all in the ring. I used high-quality boxing and played a clever game, which allowed me to win."
Iwata on the other hand was less than happy about the result, and when asked about the scoring he stated "To be honest, I wonder if this is 'boxing?' I was hit with some small punches, but does moving around all the time count for points? I can't put it into words well, but I don't think it's the 'boxing' I think it is." His trainer, and former world champion himself, Takahiro Ao, went on to say "I think he could have done more, but he did his best."