Kosei Tanaka vs Jonathan Gonzalez Set for August 24

Kosei Tanaka Set to Make His 2nd Title Defense

Kosei Tanaka vs Jonathan Gonzalez
Kosei Tanaka (left) and Jonathan Gonzalez (right).

Kosei Tanaka to return to the ring in August!


When it comes to a discussion about the best Pound-For-Pound fighters in the world, you often hear names like Vasiliy Lomachenko, Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez and Naoya Inoue.

Another fighter from Japan who deserves recognition among the best in the sport regardless of weight is current WBO flyweight champion Kosei Tanaka.

For those in the know, Tanaka is the genuine article!

At (13-0, 7 KO’s), he is already a three-time, three-division world champion! He has won titles at minimumweight, junior flyweight and flyweight with future ambitions of winning another world title at super flyweight.

This feat tied the record previously set by Lomachenko as the fastest three-division champion!

Also, having defeated the likes Ryoichi Taguchi, Sho Kimura, Angel Acosta, Vic Saludar, Moises Fuentes (all current or former world champions), Tanaka has a resume that rivals anyone in the sport right now.

That’s a lot of work in a short amount of time for the fighter who resides in Nagoya, Japan.

Before moving up, he still has some work to do at flyweight. Part of that work includes more defenses of his title.

So what’s next for the three-time world champion? 3KingsBoxing has learned the highly accomplished fighter will next appear in the ring on August 24 at the Takeda Teva Ocean Arena in his hometown, facing mandatory contender Jonathan Gonzalez (22-2-1, 13).

The negotiations for Tanaka vs Gonzalez have been going on since the end of April. That is when the WBO gave both camps a 30-day period to make the fight.

For the champion, he keeps the succession of high quality opposition going facing the 28 year-old Puerto Rican.

This fight will be a bit of a different challenge for the champ. This will be one of very few southpaws he’s faced in his pro career.

By: Michael Wilson

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About Mike W.2133 Articles
Mike is the host of boxing podcast "Pound 4 Pound Boxing Report" and is a Senior Writer for 3kingsboxing.com.