Kenshiro Teraji Claims WBO Title Over Israel Gonzalez; Moloney Unification Next?
At the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, Japan, Kenshiro “The Amazing Boy” Teraji (26-2, 16 KOs) became a three-weight world champion with a unanimous decision victory (117-109, 116-110, 115-111) over Israel Gonzalez (32-6-2, 12 KOs) to capture the vacant WBO junior bantamweight title. The ideal next step would be a unification bout with IBF champion Andrew Moloney.
Against Gonzalez, Teraji controlled the action from the opening bell, scoring knockdowns in the second and eleventh rounds. The only disappointment was that The Amazing Boy couldn’t secure a stoppage. Ultimately, Gonzalez never appeared to be operating at a world-class level.
NOT MUCH TIME LEFT
Teraji remains an elite fighter. However, it’s evident that at 34 years old, he is no longer the same force he was in his prime. With time working against him, now is the perfect time to pursue a legacy-defining unification clash with Moloney. Moloney captured the IBF title with a majority decision victory over Willabaldo Garcia on June 6 in Japan.
One obstacle to making the fight is Sikho Nqothole, who is currently ranked number one by both the IBF and WBO. However, that hurdle could potentially be cleared with a substantial step-aside agreement. A Teraji-Moloney unification bout is a meaningful championship fight, commercially attractive, and one that would likely draw significant interest in Teraji’s home country of Japan.
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