Fujioka-Sanchez in WBA female 112lb unification bout

Report, Photo by Joe Koizumi

Japanese female legend, five-division world titlist, WBA regular flyweight champ Naoko Fujioka (17-2, 7 KOs) will face WBA interim ruler Irma Sanchez (30-7-1, 8 KOs), from Mexico, tomorrow (Friday) in Tokyo, Japan. The 43-year-young Naoko, managed by former WBA middleweight champ Shinji Takehara, acquired her fifth belt as she unanimously defeated Yokasta Valle on points to win the vacant WBO 108-pound belt, but she decided to renounce it because of her incapability of making the weight again.

Fujioka, therefore, made up her mind to remain in the flyweight category to defend her WBA 112-pound throne. The WBA ordered Naoko to make a mandatory defense against the interim champ Irma Sanchez, 30, (handled by her manager/husband Hector Garcia) who had gained the interim belt by winning a split nod over Brenda Ramos in October of the previous year.

It will be a competitive unification bout with the busy-punching boxeadoras. The WBA officials are as follows: referee Ferlin Marsh (New Zealand); judges Lei Tavita (New Zealand), Wan-Soo Yu (Korea), Prommase Chakshuraksha (Thailand); supervisor Tsuyoshi Yasukochi (Japan).