Kyosuke Takami, a highly regarded 23-year-old prospect from Teiken Gym, has surged to the No. 1 spot in the WBA’s latest light flyweight rankings. Takami, now 9–0 with 7 KOs, captured the Japanese light flyweight title on April 8 by dominating defending champion Toshiki Kawamitsu (Misako Gym, 11 wins, 7 KOs, 2 losses), who was ranked WBC No. 3, WBO No. 8, and IBF No. 12. Takami overwhelmed Kawamitsu from the early rounds and secured a TKO victory at 2:26 of the 6th round.
This impressive performance earned Takami a significant ranking boost, jumping over previously No. 2-ranked Alven Hong Pascionis (based in Vietnam, representing the Philippines, 10–0, 5 KOs) and claiming the vacant No. 1 spot.
In the WBA light flyweight division, Erick Rosa (Dominican Republic, 8–0, 2 KOs), who vacated the WBA regular minimumweight title, became the new light flyweight champion after defeating then-No. 3 Nader Valdez (Mexico, 14–2–2, 11 KOs) by unanimous decision in a title bout held on December 19, 2023 (December 20 Japan time) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The 25-year-old Rosa made history in the Dominican Republic by winning the WBA interim minimumweight title in just his fourth pro fight. He captured the regular title in his fifth fight by defeating Vic Saludar (Philippines, 26–6, 16 KOs) via a 12-round split decision.
Afterward, a unification bout with WBA Super Champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong (Thailand, 26 wins, 10 KOs, 1 loss) was repeatedly scheduled and then canceled, despite Rosa even traveling to Thailand at one point, only to be denied entry into the country. The back-and-forth ultimately led Rosa to vacate his WBA minimumweight title in January of last year and move up to the light flyweight division.
However, following his world title win, Rosa has not had a clear fight schedule. On March 13 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Rene Santiago (Puerto Rico, 14 wins, 9 KOs, 4 losses) became the new champion by defeating Shokichi Iwata (Teiken Gym, 13 wins, 9 KOs, 2 losses) via 12-round decision and is now calling for a unification bout.
Rosa, a 160 cm tall southpaw known for his speed and technique but lacking in one-punch knockout power, became the fastest Dominican fighter to win titles in two weight classes. In the fiercely contested bout against Vic Saludar held in his home country, both fighters exchanged knockdowns. However, due to two neutral judges not arriving in time, Saludar’s team reluctantly agreed to the use of two Dominican judges.
This worked in Rosa’s favor, as he won by scores of 113–112 from supervisor/judge Luis Pabón (Puerto Rico), 113–112 for Saludar from Reina Urbaez (Venezuela), and 116–109 from Oscar Perez (Dominican Republic). Saludar was narrowly defeated in part due to a controversial knockdown ruling.
In a fight last April against IBF minimumweight No. 10 Yudel Reyes (Mexico, 16 wins, 6 KOs, 4 losses), Rosa showed signs of fatigue late in the bout and was hit repeatedly. Similarly, in the Valdez fight, he was outpunched in the later rounds and appeared to fade, raising concerns about his durability.
Given that Rosa has not made a title defense since winning the belt, there is a strong possibility that the WBA will mandate a title challenge from newly ranked No. 1 contender Kyosuke Takami. After Takami’s Japanese title win, Teiken Gym Chairman Akihiko Honda gave his approval, saying, “It’s been a while since we’ve had such a talented champion. He’s ranked high, so we can go for a world title shot anytime.” All eyes are now on what comes next.
Kyosuke Takami has stood out with exceptional talent since his elementary school days. We can’t wait to see him challenge for a world title soon!
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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