WBO 108lb champ Tanaka renounces his belt

By Joe Koizumi
Photo by Boxing Beat

Unbeaten two-time world champion Kosei Tanaka (10-0, 6 KOs) has renounced his WBO junior flyweight championship and will move up to the flyweight category to pursue his third belt.

His manager/promoter and ex-WBC 122-pound titlist Kiyoshi Hatanaka has sent a formal letter to the WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel to declare his champion’s relinquishment, saying as follows:

“We, Tanaka and I, express our utmost appreciation of your precious guidance and leadership in Tanaka having acquired the WBO 105-pound and 108-pound championships, and sincerely wish that the WBO will newly rank Tanaka in the 112-pound category so that he will try to obtain his third WBO belt.”

This relinquishment of the belt will pave the way for Angel Acosta and Juan Alejo to dispute the vacant legitimate WBO junior flyweight championship at the Madison Square Garden, NY, on Saturday.

Hatanaka will celebrate a big press conference in Nagoya to publicly announce Tanaka’s relinquishment of the belt to the Japanese press early next week. Tanaka, the 22-year-old enfant terrible, von voyage.