A new champion has emerged in the flyweight (112 lbs) division in Ricardo Sandoval (27-2, 18 KO’s).
American contender Sandoval came out on top against defending unified [WBA & WBC] champion Kenshiro Teraji (25-2, 16 KO’s) during yesterday’s [Wednesday, July 30] headlining bout on a Teiken Promotions-organized show. The card was held at the Yokohoma Buntai [otherwise known as the Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium] in Yokohama, Kanagawa, based in Japan.
With both Teraji’s WBA and WBC 112-pound titles on the line, Sandoval dug out a close-knit split-decision win over Teraji to become the unified champion of the division.
Scheduled for 12 rounds, the title bout saw a highly-competitive match occur between the two that could have gone either way.
In the early half of the fight, it was Kenshiro Teraji arguably found the most success as his solid jab kept Sandoval from gaining momentum while further allowing Teraji to pump out combinations. Despite facing struggles as Sandoval’s usual pressure-style of fighting took a backseat to Teraji’s own aggression, Sandoval retained the defensive discipline to remain in the fight but seemed tentative in countering, allowing the Japanese champion to outwork him as a result.
During lulls where Kenshiro Teraji was forced to wind down his pressure, Ricardo Sandoval did well with his own pressure, with his combinations often appearing crisp and putting the Japanese fighter in a similar position he had placed Sandoval in as he was forced to endure the American challenger’s onslaught of attacks.
By the 5th round, both fighters were arguably neck-to-neck but it was Teraji who seemed to move ahead on the scorecards after a one-two combination floored Sandoval.
Sandoval showed remarkable resistance lasting the 5th round but was forced to adapt to fighting on the backfoot after it became resoundingly clear that Teraji would not be budged from pressuring the American. Now relying mostly on counters, Sandoval’s successful transition allowed him success in the latter portion of the fight where his body shots also began becoming more prevalent.
Seemingly gain a new spurt of energy, Ricardo Sandoval’s activity trumped that of Kenshiro Teraji to arguably allow him to take the second half of the fight. The judges’ scores of 115-112 and 117-110 would seemingly reflect Sandoval’s resurgence in the latter half, with one lone judge scoring it a 114-113 fight in favor of Teraji.
Though Ricardo Sandoval was announced as the winner by split-decision (SD), the overall flow of the fight suggested Teraji could have also grabbed a victory due to his efforts in the first half of the fight, with the 5th knockdown arguably separating him from the American despite a poorer latter half.
Notably, Sandoval’s activity seemingly dwarfed Teraji’s in the second half of the fight which did warrant a victory in and of itself. The scores of 117-110 and 115-112 did not fully reflect the course of the fight, however, with the 114-113 appearing more accurate for either fighter as neither Teraji or Sandoval outright dominated to win more than 7 rounds outright.
Regardless of the controversy, Ricardo Sandoval was crowned the unified champion of the flyweight division as he gained Teraji’s WBA and WBC belts in a momentous victory that has seen the American become a world champion for the first time of his career, in his first world title fight.
Undercard fights:
The outcome of the Teraji-Sandoval bout was not the only fight that culminated in an upset as WBA junior flyweight (108 lbs) champion Erick Rosa (8-1, 2 KO’s), from the Dominican Republic, failed to retain his title in his first title defense. Defending against Japanese challenger Kyosuke Takami (10-0, 8 KO’s), Rosa was completely outmatched by Takami during their 12-round title bout ― eventually culminating in a technical knockout (TKO) victory for Takami who finished him off in the 10th round of the fight to become the new WBA 108-pound champion.
At bantamweight (118 lbs), American WBA champion Antonio Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KO’s) met with Japanese challenger Daigo Higa (21-3-3, 19 KO’s) in one of his toughest career fights and failed to scrape past his opponent cleanly as all three judges scored the fight 113-113 that culminated in a unanimous decision (UD) draw. Though Vargas retained his title as a result, Higa pushed him to the brink similar to the previous holder of the WBA title, Japanese former champion Seiya Tsutsumi (12-0-3, 8 KO’s), who also drew with Higa by UD.
Tsutsumi, who was relegated to champion-in-recess by the WBA due to medical reasons and lost the WBA belt as a result, also remains a prospective opponent for Vargas who was elevated to world champion as an interim champion after Tsutsumi relinquished the WBA title. However, with Tsutsumi’s date of return still largely unknown and expected to last until at least the next year, a second bout between Vargas and Higa appears to be the most logical next step for both fighters.
