Ayaka Miyao And Nanae Suzuki Could Fight In Unification After Title Victories
In boxing, the lower-weight divisions suffer from a lack of fan participation. However, a possible unification between newly crowned atomweight champions Nanae Suzuki (11-4-1, 1ko) (WBO) and Ayaka Miyao (25-9-2, 6ko) (IBF) could get fan’s attention.
SECOND TIME WAS A CHARM FOR SUZUKI
On February 25, both champions captured their respective titles against stellar opponents. Suzuki had to overcome two early defeats at the start of her career in 2016. She wouldn’t lose a fight again until 2019, winning the Japanese title in the process.
After losing that title to rising prospect Eri Matsuda (a name that will appear again in this article), Suzuki rebounded with two good wins earning a shot at WBO champion Mika Iwakawa in 2020.
Suzuki would lose the contest via split decision. However, in the 2022 rematch, she got revenge winning the title in the same way she lost in 2020.
A LONG JOURNEY BACK TO THE TOP
Miyao’s history is a long one. She is a two-time champion that has been competing since 2004. In 2012, Miyao defeated Mari Ando to capture the WBA championship and went on to have five successful title defenses.
In 2015, she lost her title in a unification against Momo Koseki. It was a struggle over the next seven years as Miyao had four unsuccessful title opportunities. Finally fighting for the vacant IBF title, she handed highly regarded Matsuda her first career defeat. In what is viewed as a close fight, the veteran won by majority decision.
IS A UNIFICATION ON THE HORIZON
A unification could be next for both champions. Suzuki could look for a rubber match with Iwakawa since both fights were close. At 38 years-old, Miyao could be looking at retirement after such a long and tough journey back to the top.
If Miyao sticks around then becoming a unified champion could be the last goal to check off the list before walking away from the sport. With both champions from the same country, it shouldn’t require a lot of leg-work to make the fight happen.
As of now, both champions undoubtedly are enjoying the moment while the boxing community waits to see what their next moves will be.
Reading Time: 2 minutes
By: Bo Bland
