WBA "super" super featherweight titleholder Jezreel Corrales had another shot to prove his April 2016 win over former champion Takashi Uchiyama wasn't a fluke and Corrales ended 2016 as a champion.
Corrales came back from a late knockdown to defeated Uchiyama in front of Uchiyama's native Japan via split decision to retain his title on New Year's Eve. Corrales knocked out Uchiyama back in April in Corrales' first defense as the WBA champion.
In the co-main event of the card, which was being held in Tokyo, WBA Light Flyweight Champion Ryoichi Taguchi made his fifth defense of his title with a majority draw against Colombian Carlos Canizales. According to the Japan Times, the draw was a surprise as many in the crowd felt that Taguchi was in control throughout the fight. One judge gave the fight to Taguchi (116-112), while the other two judges scored the fight a draw with each judge giving a score of 114-114.
While Corrales and Taguchi retained their world titles in Tokyo, another pair of world championship fights were being conducted in Kyoto. Yukinori Oguni upset IBF Super Bantamweight Champion Jonathan Guzman with a unanimous decision victory. It was Guzman's first loss as a professional boxer and it came in his very first defense as the IBF champion.
The co-main event of the Kyoto card saw Kazuto Ioka retaining his WBA flyweight championship with a seventh-round stoppage over Stamp Kiatniwat. The win marked Ioka’s fourth defense of his title and seventh win overall since losing to Amnat Ruenrong in 2014.
