One of the flyweight division’s top champions will be taking on another champion moving up in weight as her next title defense.
WBA flyweight champion Naoko Fujioka will defend her title against Tenkai Tsunami, who is vacating her WBO light flyweight title in order to challenge for Fujioka’s championship belt at 112 pounds. The fight will take place at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on July 12.
Fujioka boasts one of boxing’s best resumes, having won world titles in five different weight classes (minimumweight, light flyweight, flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight) throughout her 20-fight career which started in 2009. Fujioka is coming off a WBA flyweight title defense against interim titleholder Irma Sanchez last September. Fujioka won the WBA flyweight title in 2017 but then immediately went down in weight to win the WBO light flyweight title in December 2017.
After winning the WBO title at 108 pounds, Fujioka vacated the belt, creating an opportunity for Tsunami to win the title. Tsunami won the belt in March 2018 by stopping Chaoz Minowa after eight rounds and then defended the title last July with a fourth-round TKO victory over Gretchen Abanie. Tsunami also previously held the WBA super flyweight title.
According to Asian Boxing, the card will also feature another all-Japanese matchup between unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Andy Hiraoka and former world title challenger Akihiro Kondo. This will be Kondo's first fight since losing a title eliminator for the IBF 140-pound belt against Apinun Khongsong back in February. Khongsong knocked Kondo out in the fifth round of their bout.
