By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Ohashi Promotions announced a world title twinbill in Tokyo, Japan, on May 21. It will take place on the very next day of Teiken Promotions’ tripleheader at the same Ariake Coliseum so that our aficionados will see five world title bouts in a couple of days. Plus, in Nagoya, the WBO 108-pound title go between Kosei Tanaka and #1 Angel Acosta will be held in the daytime on May 20, so our fans will be able to watch six with the world belts at stake in total.

Unbeaten Naoya “Monster” Inoue (12-0, 10 KOs) will put his WBO junior bantamweight belt on the line against WBO Latino titlist and mandatory challenger Ricardo Rodriguez (16-3, 5 KOs), Mexico, in his fifth defense over twelve rounds. In a semi-windup, his stablemate and three-class world champ Akira Yaegashi (25-5, 13 KOs) will risk his IBF junior flyweight belt against interim titlist Milan Melindo (35-2, 12 KOs) in a competitive confrontation of punchers. Also, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist, elongated 5’11” southpaw Satoshi Shimizu (2-0, 2 KOs) will participate in his third pro bout against compatriot Takuya Yamamoto in a featherweight eight rounder. It is Fuji Television that will broadcast five world title goes in two days.

Our hardcore fans are now setting a timetable on May 20, when they will try to come back to Tokyo to see the tripleheader as soon as the Tanaka-Acosta bout is over in Nagoya. It takes one hour forty minutes from Nagoya to Tokyo by bullet train, so it will depend on the outcome of the Nagoya title bout from 4 PM whether they will be able to watch all the four with their own eyes. This reporter will be one of them, so this is a serious problem.