Kenshiro Teraji vs Carlos Canizales Produces Non-Stop Action
At the EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan, Kenshiro “The Amazing Boy” Teraji (23-1, 14 KOs) put the unified junior flyweight titles on the line against WBA regular champion Carlos Canizales (26-2-1, 19 KOs).
Entering this contest, most boxing observers ranked Teraji as the division’s top fighter and one of the preeminent boxers in the sport’s lower-weight divisions.
The 32-year-old from Japan became the unified champion with a seventh-round stoppage countryman Hiroto Kyoguchi in November 2022. Teraji’s previous outing was a ninth-round stoppage over two-division champion and one-time unified junior flyweight champion Hekkie Budler in September 2023.
In Canizales, the champion battled a fighter who once held the WBA junior flyweight title. A hard-hitter, the Venezuelan was on a four-fight winning streak since suffering a surprising sixth-round stoppage defeat to Esteban Bermudez in May 2021.
BOMBS AWAY!!!
Canizales came out firing from the opening bell. However, with eighty seconds to go in round two, he was put on the deck from a Teraji right hand. Undeterred, the challenger got up and kept firing. His aggression paid off as he scored a knockdown of his own, putting Teraji down on the seat of his pants with less than twenty seconds to go in round three.
Whenever it seemed like the champion was about to take control, Canizales would storm back with stiff left jabs and hard counter-punches. By the middle rounds, the fight became all-out warfare!
Both fighters emptied their tanks in the second half of the fight. Neither fighter could separate themselves as a pattern started to develop. Teraji would win half of the round, while Canizales would come on strong and control the final minute of each round.
TROUBLE DOWN THE STRETCH
There seemed to be moments of distress for Teraji in the championship rounds. He seemed to be fighting in pain as he failed to throw his right hand. Sensing something was wrong with his opponent, Canizales poured on the pressure until the final bell.
In the end, the judges scored the fight in favor of Teraji by a nip-and-tuck majority decision (113-113, 114-112, 114-112). During the post-fight interview, the winner said he was unsure of his next fight. A rematch could be in order as the champion and the challenger gave the fans one of boxing’s better fights in recent memory.
