Kenshiro Teraji Relinquishes Flyweight Crown Against Ricardo Sandoval

The bout opened with Teraji taking the center of the ring with Sandoval working off the back foot. There was little to report during the first three minutes. Sandoval’s tactics started to see success as soon as the second round, starting the period with a solid jab to catch the champion’s attention. Teraji responded with his own right hand, but Sandoval made a big claim to win the round with a three-shot combination.

Teraji started the third with more intent, but was playing into the hands of Sandoval as the American’s left jab and left hook were causing Teraji some discomfort. The pair traded with Teraji landing a smart two-punch combination and Sandoval scoring another left around the guard.

Sandoval had bigger success in the fourth as Teraji struggled to find the distance with the jab. Sandoval took the incentive with his smarter movement and landed a big right hand to the head. The frame closed with Sandoval’s left hand finding its way, again, around the guard.

In the fifth, Sandoval would find himself on the canvas after two impressive rounds. Sandoval attacked with body shots, but Teraji marched forward to land a rapid right hand to the chin to score the knockdown. Sandoval took it well and was up on his feet on the count of five. Teraji turned up the heat looking for the finish, but Sandoval hung on as a cut started to open up under the left eye.

Teraji continued a small period of dominance with a crushing uppercut in the sixth. Sandoval started to look a little gassed, but would pull out a right hand as Teraji went looking for an early end as he pushed the American into the corner. Sandoval recovered at the start of round seven and would pick up his good work from the fourth round. His punch output greatly increased as Teraji struggled to counter effectively.

Teraji’s punch output continued to decrease going into the later stages of the fight. It worked in the American’s favour, whose right hands were landing with precision in the eighth. Teraji’s body attacks continued, but they failed to find the target. A similar story played out in the ninth. Sandoval’s right to the head was causing Teraji’s aggression to diminish.

Sandoval’s good work carried into the tenth as his rhythm became more cemented. Teraji would land a good right hand, but Sandoval responded by switching to southpaw, landing an overhand left to the head. The pair met in the center of the ring again, with Sandoval’s jab bringing him out on top.

The eleventh brought some serious action to the contest. Sandoval landed a good body shot to start the session. Teraji landed a precise uppercut as Sandoval responded by switching to southpaw again, landing a good left hand.

The DAZN commentary team had the fight in the balance going into the final round. It appeared both fighters had a similar view. Both men left it all in the ring as the bell rang. Teraji appeared to have done enough to claim the final round, but it was too little, too late, as he lost for the first time in eight fights.

Undercard

The undercard included two other world title fights. In the chief support, Antonio Vargas retained his WBA bantamweight world title with a unanimous-decision draw against Japan’s Daigo Higa. All three judges scored the contest 113-113. Higa (21-3-3, 19 KOs) saw an identical outcome in his previous fight with Seiya Tsutsumi in February. Sandoval (19-1-1, 11 KOs) was making his first appearance away from his native USA. (Editor’s note: Higa announced his retirement hours after the fight result.)

Japan has another world champion joining its list of stars in the lower weight divisions. Twenty-three-year-old Kyosuke Takami claimed the WBA light flyweight world title with a tenth-round stoppage against Dominican Republic’s Erick Rosa. Takami (10-0, 8 KOs) ended the show with a right hand to send Rosa (8-1, 2 KOs) reeling to the canvas. He would make it to his feet but would slip on the canvas to hit the floor again. The referee saw enough and halted the bout at 2:48.