Fighting for Scraps
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 15 Mar 2024
The Inoue brothers lead Japan's dominance in boxing's lower weight division.
Including Naoya Inoue's undisputed world super bantamweight championship, the Japanese are holding 13 or more than half of the total 24 world titles from the minimumweights (105 lbs) through the junior featherweights (122 lbs).
For better illustration, here is a list of the Japanese world champions currently:
1. Ginjiro Shigeoka, WBC minimumweight
2. Yudai Shigeoka, IBF minimumweight
3. Kenshiro Teraji, WBC and WBA light flyweight
4. Segio Yuri Akui, WBA flyweight
5. Kazuto Ioka, WBA super flyweight
6. Kosei Tanaka, WBO super flyweight
7. Takuma Inoue, WBA bantamweight
8. Junto Nakatani, WBC bantamweight
9. Naoya Inoue, WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO super bantamweight
The non Japanese champions are:
1. Knockout CP Freshmart, WBA minimumweight (T)
2. Oscar Collazo, WBO minimumweight (PR)
3. Jose La Bomba Gonzales, WBO light flyweight (PR)
4. Sivenathi Notshinga, IBF light flyweight (SA)
5. Cesar Martinez, WBC flyweight (Mex)
6. Bam Rodriguez, IBF/WBO flyweight (USA)
7. Francisco Estrada, WBC super flyweight (Mex)
8. Fernando Martinez, IBF super flyweight (Arg)
9. Jason Moloney, WBO bantamweight (Aus)
10. Emmanuel Rodriguez, IBF bantamweight (PR)
We must thank our lucky stars that despite our fighters bombing out the last two years, we still have some who are in the position to vie for world titles like Melvin Jerusalem, ArAr Andales at minimumweight this end of March and Christian Araneta at light flyweight sometime in May.
Unlike most of our counterparts, near and far as the Chinese, Thais, Koreans, and sunder Africans and Latinos who are content on fighting for the scraps including international and myriads of regional titles with the Japanese fighters ruling most of the world major championships in the lighter weights.
But even as the Chinese, Thais and others are left to fight for scraps, still they are not out of the crosshairs of upcoming Japanese boxers and especially Filipino fighters out to make a comeback from world title failures. Or simply out to improve their records and standings.
Take the case of cashiered WBO bantamweight titlist Johnriel Casimero who is now the WBO Global super bantamweight beltholder at the expense of Filipus Nghtumbwa of Namibia.
Or former world title challenger Regie Suganob who also now holds the WBO Global light flyweight crown after winning over Venezuelan Ronald Chacon. Suganob is set to defend the same title against Kai Ichikawa in his hometown in Bohol this April.
Marco John Rementizo will be challenging China's Dian Xing Zu for his WBO Global minimumweight title this Saturday in Vietnam. Rementizo is favored to wrest the crown.
I am sure there are other cases involving Pinoys for Carl Jammes Martin and Charly Suarez hold as many as four minor international titles each won mostly at the expense of foreign foes.
But what are we do? I am sure local promoters and handlers will not pass up at the opportunity to lavish their promotions and boxers with some international or regional titles no matter how minor.
Some of our fighters have dislodged themselves of these minor titles since they are already highly rated by the major boxing bodies and the task of defending these minor trinkets may even get in the way of focusing for a major world title crack.
I know that it is not easy but our boxers and their handlers should know their priorities.
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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