Sankei Sports reports that flyweight champions Kenshiro Teraji and Seigo Yuri Akui recently shared a TV spot in which both men expressed interest in a unification bout, which SanSpo claims will “likely” land in February.
Shoutout to Twitter’s Tokkeru for finding the article.
Teraji (24-1, 15 KO) was the most decorated light flyweight of the last decade, but after smashing Hiroto Kyoguchi to claim unified status, repeated misfortunes on Jonathan Gonzalez’s part kept him from further pursuing undisputed status. He instead moved up to 112 in October, debuting with a dominant finish of Cristofer Rosales to claim the vacant WBC title.
He’s got a looming challenger in interim titlist Galal Yafai, but unification takes precedence and this shouldn’t delay things long if the schedule holds.
Akui (21-2-1. 11 KO) had a breakout 2024, starting with an upset of long-reigning champion Artem Dalakian in January before beating former rival Taku Kuwahara and Thai young gun Thananchai NKL. Whoever wins here will quite clearly be the top flyweight of the post-Bam era, and further unification with Anthony Olascuaga should be more than doable if the winner gets past Yafai.
Sign me up.