Kenshiro Teraji Stops Anthony Olascuaga & Wants Jonathan Gonzalez Next
At the Ariake Arena in Koto-Ku, Japan, fans witnessed the return of 3Kings Boxing 2022 Comeback Fighter Of The Year, Kenshiro Teraji (21-1, 13KO) as he defended the unified junior flyweight titles against American Anthony Olascuaga (5-1, 3KO).
Teraji entered the contest coming off what was a fantastic 2022. In March 2022, Teraji regained the WBC title with a devastating third-round knockout of Masamichi Yabuki. Teraji followed that performance with a seventh-round stoppage over then-WBA champion Hiroto Kyoguchi. Teraji’s efforts earned him 3kingsboxing.com’s Comeback Fighter of the Year.
Teraji faced Olascuaga, a late substitute for WBO 108-pound champion Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez. Despite only having five bouts entering this fight with Teraji, the challenger is a skilled fighter who can fight on the front and back foot. But this was a big jump in class.
FUN FROM THE OPENING BELL
Olascuaga shocked the Japanese crowd by pressing the action in the opening round. He landed several flush right hands on the chin of the defending champion. However, the experienced Teraji started to make adjustments.
In round two, the defending champion began to dominate the space and set the tempo, forcing Olascuaga to fight backward. Quick and accurate, Teraji was finding success with body punches and counter-punches to the chin. Towards the end of round three, a counter right hand from Teraji put Olascuaga down.
Both men continued to fight at a torrid pace in the middle rounds. In the seventh, they went to war, exchanging power shot after power shot. Just when it appeared the intensity of the fight was catching up to the inexperienced challenger, he would fire back with hard punches. Olascuaga showed all the heart in the world!
The body shots and the accuracy of Teraji took over. Early in round nine, a right hand unsettled Olascuaga. It was at this moment that the defending champion pounced. A follow-up assault of punches put the challenger down. The referee rightfully called a halt to the contest.
Overall, this was a very entertaining scrap. Afterward, Teraji said he would like to fight in a rescheduled unification bout with WBO champion Jonathan Gonzalez.
