Nothing beats a weekday boxing card out of Japan and on Monday, September 18 we have two of the country's finest pound-for-pound fighters defending their respective world titles at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Kenshiro Teraji, the WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine light flyweight champion, takes on former two-weight world titleholder Hekkie Budler. Teraji is two belts away from becoming the first ever undisputed champion at 108 pounds and his skill and power are beyond reproach. Budler, 35, is a savvy veteran fighting out of South Africa and he has sprung upsets in the past.
WATCH: Sign up for Kenshiro Teraji vs. Hekkie Budler live, exclusively on ESPN+
Also on the card, Junto Nakatani makes the maiden defense of his WBO super flyweight championship against Mexico's Argi Cortes. Nakatani is coming off a Knockout of the Year contender over the world-class Andrew Moloney and will be looking to put rival champions Kazuto Ioka, Juan Francisco Estrada, and Fernando Martinez on notice. This fight represents Cortes' first significant test and it's a huge one.
Japan is one of the major hotbeds in world boxing right now and it continues to get stronger. The Sporting News now takes an in-depth look at the country's finest pound-for-pound fighters:
Boxing's pound-for-pound fighters from Japan
No. 5 Ginjiro Shigeoka
- Age: 23
- Record: 9-0 (7 KOs)
- Titles: Interim IBF minimumweight champion
Welcome to the future.
Shigeoka is nine fights and four years into his professional career and he is already rated No. 5 by The Ring at 105 pounds. An aggressive but offensively adept southpaw, Shigeoka has a cerebral style that belies his years.
Many are convinced that the 23-year-old is the heir-apparent to Inoue and it sure looks that way. In his most recent outing, Shigeoka nailed Rene Mark Cuarto to the canvas with a single left hand to the midsection.
This latest Japanese hotshot fights Daniel Valladares on October 7 for the full IBF title. Remember the name.
MORE: SN's top-12 female pound-for-pound list
No. 4 Junto Nakatani
- Age: 25
- Record: 25-0 (19 KOs)
- Titles: Reigning WBO super flyweight champion, former WBO flyweight champion
Nakatani, like Inoue, is a power-punching destroyer with quick hands and superb ring IQ. However, those weapons are bolstered by his southpaw stance and a 5ft 7ins frame, which is extremely tall for the lower weight classes. Nakatani made two successful defences of the flyweight crown before moving up to 115 pounds. It’s clear that his power went with him because, in May, he scored a spectacular one-punch knockout of Australian contender Andrew Moloney to win the vacant WBO super flyweight title.
He’s only 25 and already on the cusp of pound-for-pound recognition.
No. 3 Kenshiro Teraji
- Age: 31
- Record: 21-1 (13 KOs)
- Titles: Reigning WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine light flyweight champion
The baby-faced Teraji transforms into an absolute devil in the prize ring. After claiming the WBC flyweight title in just his 10th fight, “The Amazing Boy” opted for a steep championship learning curve against the top contenders in his division. He improved at a rapid rate and is now far and away the best 108-pounder on the planet.
There was a blip against Masamichi Yabuki, who handed Teraji a 10th-round stoppage defeat in 2021. However, the Japanese star bounced back to annihilate Yabuki inside three rounds, which proved to a small army of doubters that his first pro defeat was largely down to the aftereffects of a COVID-19 infection.
MORE: The Sporting News: Boxing top 12 pound-for-pound list
No. 2 Kazuto Ioka
- Age: 34
- Record: 30-2-1 (15 KOs)
- Titles: Reigning WBA super flyweight champion. Former WBA and WBC minimumweight champion, former WBA light flyweight champion, former WBA flyweight champion, former WBO super flyweight champion
The great Ioka was Japan’s first-ever male four-weight world champion. You could end the list of accolades right there, but we’re just getting started. The 34-year-old, has contested 24 world title fights and taken on a who’s who of elite-level opponents. Among his victims are Felix Alvarado (UD 12), Juan Carlos Reveco (MD 12, TKO 11), McWilliams Arroyo (UD 10), Aston Palicte (TKO 10), Kosei Tanaka (TKO 10), Donnie Nietes (UD 12). Defeating Franco has just added to what was already a very special legacy.
No. 1 Naoya Inoue
- Age: 30
- Record: 25-0 (22 KOs)
- Titles: Reigning WBO & WBC super bantamweight champion, former WBC light flyweight champion, former WBO super flyweight champion, former undisputed bantamweight champion
Inoue is arguably the finest pound-for-pound fighter in the world today, and only undisputed welterweight champ Terence Crawford threatens his supremacy. Now a four-weight world champion, “The Monster” possesses a matchless blend of speed, power, and perfect technique.
In his most recent outing, the Japanese hero first outclassed the previously unbeaten Stephen Fulton before stopping him emphatically inside eight rounds to win two super bantamweight titles. So good was this performance that the sky is no longer the limit.