Kenshiro Teraji and Carlos Cañizales were the protagonists of an unforgettable clash in which everything was there and which was resolved in the details

When just 23 days of the year have passed, Kenshiro Teraji and Carlos Cañizales They have ensured their presence in all boxing reports that will be prepared at the end of 2024. This will be a consequence of the Exciting combat which they gave this Tuesday in Osaka, in which The Japanese won on points with a very close majority decision and thus retained the World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) light flyweight division titles.

Thirty-six minutes of relentless action were delivered by the 32-year-old monarch, who entered the ring with a record of 22 wins (14 before the cutoff) and 1 loss as the star. his fifteenth consecutive World Cup matchand the candidate, 30 years old, former champion of the category, first in the WBA ranking and second in the WBC, and holder of a record of 26 victories (19 for fast track) and 1 setback.

It seemed that the duel would last much shorter than agreed upon. After a first round in which the host set the tone with a couple of powerful overhand right hands, midway through the second Cañizales missed a left hook, leaving himself defenseless and Teraji connected him with an accurate bomb that sent him to the ground. The Venezuelan managed to get back up, but had to suffer harsh harassment for the rest of the episode which brought him to the brink of defeat.

The monarch had everything ready to add his fifth consecutive quick victory, following the KO defeat suffered on September 22, 2021 against his compatriot Masamichi Yabuki. But in the third episode his rival comes out of the darkness and, with a straight forehand, he showed him the tapestry. For a few seconds, the audience at Osaka’s Edion Arena was frozen.

From the fourth round, the exchange was dizzying, with Teraji’s slight superiority in volume and aim. Gradually, the blows to the body of the Japanese weakened the Venezuelan’s resistance, forced to fight constantly in retreat and with his back increasingly pressed against the ropes. Anyway, He never left a shot without answering.

Thanks to his remarkable physical preparation, the man from Caracas, used to fighting outside his country and in adverse conditions, remained in the fight, almost always finishing the episodes better than the boxer born in Joyo, and even got Teraji into trouble in the seventh chapter.

The Japanese came in slightly ahead of the table in the last three rounds and In those nine minutes he opted for an evasive version: He walked the ring, avoided frank exchanges and threw almost no punches.

The resolution of the matter was therefore left in the hands of the judges. And the numbers, very limited, ended up favoring Teraji: the South Korean Jun Bae Lim and the Mexican Omar Mintun gave him the Victory 114-112while Canadian Jeremy Hayes felt the case was over draw 113-113.

“Cañizales was a very tough opponent and did everything to win. I feel frustrated that I wasn’t able to do the boxing I wanted. And I’m sorry, but I’m relieved to win.”recognized the Japanese, who made the fourth successful defense in his second reign and the 12th when considering his two stints as 108-pound champion.

“In the second part of the fight I changed strategy and tried to maintain a greater distance. I need to think better about strategies and I have to continue to improve”, analyzed the winner, who also considered what options the future might hold for me: “I still don’t know what will happen in my career in the short term. If a fight for unification is possible, I would like to do it; if it’s not possible, I totally agree with the update.”.

The two other light flyweight division champions that Teraji could face in a unification duel have activity scheduled for the next few weeks. The monarch of the International Boxing Federation, the Mexican Adrián Curiel, will display his belt on February 16 against South African Sivenathi Nontshinga in Oaxaca. And the head of the World Boxing Organization, Puerto Rican Jonathan Gonzálezhe will risk the belt against his compatriot René Santiago on March 2 in San Juan.