Kenshiro Teraji vs. Ricardo Sandoval: A Preview of All the Title Fights

Kenshiro Teraji (25-1, 16 KOs) will soon defend his world titles against Ricardo Sandoval (26-2, 18 KOs).

Their bout headlines a Teiken Promotions card on July 30, at the Yokohama BUNTAI in Japan. Fight fans in the country can catch the action live on U-Next. Those in the United States and the United Kingdom can do so with DAZN.

Ahead of this event that features three world title contests, Big Fight Weekend does a breakdown of each of the bouts.

Kenshiro Teraji vs. Ricardo Sandoval: A Preview of All the Title Fights

Kenshiro Teraji vs. Ricardo Sandoval

At stake in the main event will be Teraji’s WBA and WBC flyweight world titles. Following two separate reigns as champion at light flyweight that also saw him unify titles, the Japanese fighter moved up to 112 lbs. Teraji’s first bout saw him win the vacant WBC belt against Cristofer Rosales in October last year. He then added the WBA title by defeating Seigo Yuri Akui in March of this year. Teraji is favoured to win, but he will be facing an opponent who is full of determination.

Read More: Kenshiro Teraji vs. Carlos Cañizales: Majority Decision 12 Round War in Osaka

Sandoval could have fought for a world title much sooner. He faced David Jimenez in 2022, losing via majority decision in what was a WBA world title eliminator. Since then, Sandoval has won six fights in a row and has now gotten the call to face Teraji. The reigning unified champion is most certainly his toughest opponent to date. While this is Sandoval’s first-ever world title fight, Teraji, on the other hand, has won 16 of 17 such contests.

Antonio Vargas vs. Daigo Higa

Antonio Vargas (19-1, 11 KOs, 1 NC) will be making the first defence of his WBA bantamweight world title. The previous titleholder, Seiya Tsutsumi, was declared a “Champion in Recess” by the WBA after promoter Akihiko Honda claimed he was “medically unfit” to compete. Vargas, who held an interim version of the title, was promoted to champion as a result. This will be his first time fighting outside of the United States.

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Daigo Higa (21-3-2, 19 KOs) is a hard-hitting fighter who was previously a world champion at flyweight. He lost his title on the scales ahead of a bout against Rosales, lost the actual fight, served a suspension for missing weight, and has now competed at bantamweight for just over five years. This will be Higa’s third consecutive world title fight at 118 lbs. His previous bout saw him draw in a rematch against Tsutsumi for the WBA belt. In the fight before that, he lost a unanimous decision to Yoshiki Takei for the WBO title. Higa will hope that the third time is the charm against Vargas.

Erick Rosa vs. Kyosuke Takami

Erick Rosa (8-0, 2 KOs) defends his WBA light flyweight world title for the first time on July 30. He won the vacant title in December last year against Neider Aguilar. The previous titleholder, Teraji, vacated the belt and moved to flyweight. As a result, it was put at stake for Rosa-Aguilar with the Dominican ultimately becoming champion. This will be Rosa’s ninth professional boxing contest and first outside of the Dominican Republic. His first title defence pits him against an opponent who is at least two inches taller and has a slightly longer reach.

Read More: Five Light Flyweight Fighters to Watch in 2025

Kyosuke Takami (9-0, 7 KOs) became the Japanese light flyweight champion earlier this year and now has a shot at becoming a world champion. At 23, he is just two years younger than his opponent. Takami has only gone the distance twice in his career so far and has never gone past round eight. This will be his first fight scheduled for 12 rounds. The lack of experience going 10 and 12 rounds could be his undoing, but Takami does possess physical advantages over Rosa that may get him the win.