This Wednesday was announced that World Boxing Association (WBA) flyweight champion Seigo Yuri Akui will defend his belt for the first time on May 6 against Taku Kawuhara at the Tokyo Dome, in the Japanese capital.

Yuri Akui comes from winning the title last January 23 when he defeated Artem Dalakian by unanimous decision in Osaka. Now, he will have the opportunity to have his first exhibition in this great stage and intends to leave a great impression in front of his people. 

The 28-year-old fighter has already become a champion, but now comes the time to prove that he can hold his own and for that he needs to take the first step, which is to defend the belt. 

Kawuhara is also Japanese and is 28 years old. The Osaka native has been professional since 2018 and has fought to earn this opportunity for a title. He comes from defeating Wulan Tuolehazi in his most recent fight last July 11 and will now face the biggest challenge of his career. 

Yuri Akui has a record of 19 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, with 11 knockouts. Kawuhara has 13 wins, 1 loss and 8 knockouts.

(Oct. 10, 2023) – Japanese world champion Takuma Inoue will defend his WBA bantamweight crown against Filipino former world champion Jerwin Ancajas on Wednesday, November 15, at Ry?goku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

Inoue, the younger brother of pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue, looks to make the first defense of his strap, while Ancajas aims to secure a world title in a second weight class.

In the world championship co-feature, Artem Dalakian puts his WBA flyweight world title on the line against Japanese contender Seigo Yuri Akui.

Inoue-Ancajas, Dalakian-Akui, and additional undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. in the early morning hours on ESPN+.

Inoue (18-1, 4 KOs) is a nine-year pro who compiled a 13-0 record before challenging Nordine Oubaali for the WBC bantamweight world title in November 2019. Inoue was dropped early in the fight, but showed resilience down the stretch. He has not lost a fight since then. In April, the 27-year-old captured the vacant WBA crown with a decision win against former junior bantamweight world champion Liborio Solis.

Ancajas (34-3-2, 23 KOs) is a 31-year-old southpaw who captured the IBF junior bantamweight world title against McJoee Arroyo in September 2016. He made nine successful defenses, including stoppage wins over Jamie Conlan and Israel Gonzalez. He lost the belt via decision to Fernando Daniel Martinez in February 2022 and was bested in their rematch later that year. He returned in June with a fifth-round TKO against Wilner Soto.

Dalakian (22-0, 15 KOs) is a 12-year pro who captured the WBA flyweight world title with a unanimous decision win against Brian Viloria in February 2018. He has defended his title six times, including a decision win over David Jimenez in January. Akui (18-2-1, 11 KOs), winner of six straight, is making his first attempt at a world title. 

In other streaming action from Tokyo:

• Yuki Yonaha (13-5-1, 8 KOs) returns in an eight-round junior featherweight fight against Juiki Tatsuyoshi (14-0-1, 10 KOs). Yonaha will make his third appearance of 2023, following a unanimous decision loss to former multi-division kickboxing world champion Tenshin Nasukawa in April and a split decision win over Karoon Jarupianlerd in August. Tatsuyoshi looks to remain unbeaten after a fifth-round TKO against Taketo Yamahara in August.
   
• Bantamweight prospect Riko Masuda (3-1, 3 KOs) will lock horns against Filipino former world title challenger Jonas Sultan (19-6, 11 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Masuda looks to bounce back from his first pro loss, while Sultan is coming off a decision win over Frank Gonzalez last month.  

The World Boxing Association (WBA) Championships Committee called for the auction the purs bid between the flyweight champion of the organization, Artem Dalakian, and the number one contender Seigo Yuri Akui, to be held on September 8.

The auction will be held in Houston, Texas, and will be conducted by the committee’s vice-president, Julio Thyme, according to the communication sent to the teams of both fighters. 

The bidding will be conducted under the rules of the pioneer organization and will have a purse split of 75% for the champion and 25% for the challenger. The minimum amount to obtain the organization rights will be U$ 80,000.00. 

The Ukrainian comes from defending his crown in January against David Jimenez and now must face the Japanese after the deadline to face the official challenger has passed.