In what is becoming an increasing line of fighters vying for the vacant WBC bantamweight title, Takuma Inoue is the latest boxer to throw his hat into the ring after winning a title eliminator.
In the main event of a boxing card in Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Inoue defeated Mark John Yap by unanimous decision (116-111, 117-110, 114-113) to win the title eliminator. With the win, Inoue now improves his record to 12-0 while Yap’s 10-fight win streak comes to an end.
The 22-year-old Inoue will likely have to wait a long time before cashing in his opportunity for the vacant title. The title is currently vacant with no set date on when a fight to claim the title. According to WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, the current plan is to have Rau’Shee Warren vs. Nordine Oubaali for the vacant title sometime in October though no official announcement has been made.
The title was supposed to have a holder by this point, but the original fight for the title, Oubaali vs. Petch Sor Chitpattana set for this past summer in France, never happened. For months, the title was stuck in limbo before the latest announcement and even if Warren and Oubaali have their fight in October, there’s no guarantee that Inoue would be next in line to get a title shot. Sor Chitpattana is still ranked No. 2 by the WBC in its latest bantamweight rankings.
Inoue will likely continue fighting in Japan until he is able to get his shot at the WBC title.
