Japan Suspends Boxing this March; Dante's OPBF Title Defense Off
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 03 Mar 2020
The Corona Virus.
Due to the growing health concerns in Japan over the possible spread of the coronavirus respiratory disease (Covid-19), the Japanese Boxing Commission (JBC) and the Japanese Professional Boxing Association (JPBA) have agreed to suspend all scheduled local boxing matches this month of March throughout the country.
As in other countries affected or threatened by the disease, the measure is intended to avoid the mass crowding to preclude and prevent possible transmission and spread of the viral infection.
According to JBC, the suspension will be for a month period starting March 1 but could be extended subject to the advise and recommendation of the national authorities. Important bouts will however be rearranged or rescheduled, the JBC said.
Affected are sixteen boxing matches already scheduled for the month. Luckily, there are no world title bouts set in Japan during the same period.
But not only local but also visiting foreign fighters with scheduled previously approved bouts will be affected by the suspension.
Biggest casualty of the current boxing ban is the supposed defense by Filipino champion Lito Dante of his OPBF minimumweight title against Masataka Taniguchi originally set for this March in Tokyo. The bout is also for the vacant Japanese national minimumweight title.
Dante won the OPBF title via stunning knockout of then undefeated highly promising defending titleholder Tsubasa Koura in February last year.
The Filipino fighter with a deceiving ring record is coming off a six round decision loss to Yudai Shigeoka last December in Japan and a win over a countryman in the Philippines in his last two fights.
Meanwhile, Taniguchi is coming off a failed try at the WBO minimumweight title then held by Filipino Vic Saludar in February 2019 and a win over a fellow Japanese fighter in his recent fight last November.
If the situation does not improve and authorities are forced to extend the suspension, the scheduled fight between Filipino Giemel Magramo and Junto Nakatani set in Tokyo on April 4, 2020 for the vacant WBO flyweight title will also be affected.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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