Teraji vs Sandoval leads July 30 title tripleheader in Yokohama

Kenshiro Teraji, Antonio Vargas, and Erick Rosa will defend their WBO belts next month

Kenshiro Teraji is set for his first defense as unified flyweight champion, as Teiken announced today that he’ll meet Ricardo Sandoval in the main event of a July 30th title tripleheader from Yokohama, Japan.

Teraji (25-1, 16 KO) produced yet another instant classic in March by stopping Seigo Yuri Akui to add the WBA belt to his trophy case. He faces a skilled division mainstay in 26-year-old Sandoval (26-2, 18 KO), whose only loss since 2016 came via narrow majority decision against David Jimenez in 2022.

The co-feature sees Antonio Vargas (19-1, 11 KO), who was raised from secondary to full WBA bantamweight champion due to Seiya Tsutsumi’s injury issues, take on slugger Daigo Higa (21-3-2, 19 KO). Vargas’ is a feel-good comeback story, as he suffered a shock upset knockout loss in 2019 but has rallied back to seemingly live up to his extensive amateur pedigree. Higa, a former flyweight titlist, will be making his third straight bid for bantamweight gold after high-octane brawls with Yoshiki Takei and the aforetmentioned Tsutsumi produced a UD loss and a draw.

The opener pits WBA light flyweight champion Erick Rosa (8-0, 2 KO), a former champion at 105, take on 23-year-old young gun Kyosuke Takami (9-0, 7 KO).

Nice little show; we’ll let you know if and when they snag a U.S. broadcast partner.