IBF super bantamweight champion Yukinori Oguni’s surprise upset over Jonathan Guzman propelled him to the top of the division and now he’ll have his first test when he defends his title in September.
Oguni’s Kadoebi Houseki Boxing Gym announced that Oguni will fight Ryosuke Iwasa, the No. 3 ranked fighter in the IBF’s official rankings, on September 13 in Osaka, Japan.
During a news conference announcing the fight, Oguni called Isawa the “opponent I least want to fight” and that the match at Edion Arena in Osaka to be “difficult” but wants to “win confidently.”
Oguni defeated Guzman via unanimous decision (115-112, 115-112, 115-112) on December 31, 2016 to capture his first world title. Oguni is a former OPBF super bantamweight titleholder and has won his last five fights since a majority draw back in 2015 with the Japanese super bantamweight title on the line. Oguni is also the No. 9 ranked super bantamweight in the official Fightful Boxing Rankings at super bantamweight.
Iwasa challenged for the interim IBF bantamweight title in 2015, being stopped in the sixth round by Lee Haskins. Since the loss to Haskins, his only professional loss, Oguni won his last four fights, becoming the mandatory challenger in the process. Isawa was set to fight Luis Rosa late last year in a title eliminator, but Rosa failed to make weight before the fight, putting the fight off.
