Shigeoka Brothers Had Eyes on Conquerors Since Three Years Ago
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 30 Jul 2024
Pedro Taduran (R) overpowers Ginjiro Shigeoka last weekend.
Naghanap sila ng sarili nilang kapahamakan. They looked for their own misfortunes.
The Shiegoka fighting brothers Ginjiro and Yudai seemed to have tempted their own fate, with one after the other losing their world minimumweight titles against pre-chosen Filipino challengers.
It appeared that three years ago, with boxing normalizing in Japan, the handlers of the then world champion prospect fighting brothers had looked with interest, and envy I should add, at the bevy of Filipino fighters littering the 105 lbs class.
Back in August 2021, roving Japanese sports correspondent Soichi Hayashi who represented himself as publicist for the Shigeokas contacted this writer for "suitable opponents" for Yudai and especially Ginjiro who the Ring Magazine once featured as the new face to watch and then heavily touted as Japan's next world champion.
On top of my mind, I mentioned the names of Froilan Saludar, Rene Mark Cuarto, Melvin Jerusalem, Pedro Taduran, Arar Andales, Lito Dante, Clyde Azarcon and Mark John Rementizo.
However at that time Saludar was still WBA regular world titlist while Cuarto held the IBF crown so I said they were out of the discussion since both the Shigeoka brothers did not have the ratings high enough to challenge them. I said they could choose from the rest as suitable Filipino opponents.
Hayashi told me he will report the matter to Hiroshi Watanabe, the Shigeokas manager and get back to me asap.
The following day, Soichi e mailed again and said Yudai had already beaten Dante in 2019 but at light flyweight. He also said Mr. Watanabe could not commit as to the rest in the list as he was carefully moving the brothers up both with barely half a dozen pro fights at that stage.
Watanabe ostensibly had another plan and timetable to make the brothers world champions with carefully calculated risks and proper timing.
Melvin Jerusalem drops Yudai Shigeoka.
That came two years later in early 2023 when the Shigeoka brothers one after the other became interim world champions of IBF and WBA respectively with Ginjiro beating Mark Cuarto and Yudai defeating Wilfredo Mendez; by then already ex world titlists. It was Mendez who unseated Saludar the year before.
That set Ginjiro up against regular champion Daniel Valladares of Mexico who had earlier wrested the IBF crown from Cuarto and Yudai versus Thailand's Panya Pradabsri, conqueror of Wanheng Menayothin, for the WBA super belt. In December of 2023, the Shigeokas earned the distinction as the first fighting brothers to become world champions on the same day.
It seemed the Japanese duo's camp did not forget the other Filipinos on my list Especially, Jerusalen who had earlier become WBO world champion by knocking out Masataka Takayama, a stablemate of the Shigeokas.
Last March the brothers staked their world titles for the first time. Yudai picked Jerusalem as his first defense for the chance to avenge the loss. Ginjiro chose ArAr Andales who lost by technical decision in 2019 to the legendary Thai long time champion Wanheng Menayothin, denying him of TKO victory.
Yudai picked the wrong guy as he went down twice in dropping a points decision to Jerusalem, losing his WBA title.
Ginjiro was more fortunate as Andales was reportedly injured in training and had to be subbed by Jake Amparo, a previous wide points loser to Taduran. Ginjiro defended his IBF title by knockout over Amparo.
But Ginjiro's luck proved to run thin as Taduran had earned the mandatory challenger status to the IBF crown he once possessed until two unfortunate losses to Rene Cuarto.
But then, Ginjiro welcomed the challenge confident of beating Taduran who had lost twice to Cuarto, the man he easily stopped the year before.
He could not be more wrong.
Taduran pummeled him from pillar to post in pounding out a 9th round TKO victory and securing a second tenure as IBF world minimumweight champion.
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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