Japanese Scene: Shimoda Wins, Kono vs Rojas, Nashiro to Return, Plus More News & Notes...

Sidney Boquiren of RingwalkNippon has the latest Japanese boxing news and notes.  For more updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Kono to fight Rojas for WBC Super Flyweight title, could face Koki Kameda if he wins

Ring Magazine #5 rated Super Flyweight Kohei Kono is getting his second world title shot as he will take on Tomas Rojas for the vacant WBC 115-pound title. With Vic Darchinyan elevated to "Honorary Emeritus Champion" status, Kono and Rojas will square off for the regular belt.

The 29-year old, who gave Nobuo Nashiro fits in their 2008 bout, is on a four-win streak since that fight. Rojas presents his most experienced opponent as the native of Veracruz, Mexico, has faced the likes of Jorge Arce, Anselmo Moreno, Gerry Penalosa, and most recently Darchinyan (who knocked him out in two).

Kono-Rojas is set for September 20 on the undercard of Uchiyama-Mukhlis.

The former OPBF champ has expressed that should he win the title, he would like to make his first defense against Koki Kameda, who made his comeback last month and moved up to the Super Flyweight division. While Kameda is still ranked by the WBC at 112-pounds, he will likely be gifted a relatively high position in the new division in the near future, making a fight with the winner of Kono-Rojas possible.

Kameda told Daily Sports Online that he would welcome the possibility of taking on a newly crowned Kono stating, "I wish Kono the best of luck. I would love for him to pick me as his opponent for a first defense. Even though I have options with the WBA and the WBC, if Kono wants to fight me, I would be more than happy to take him on."

Though Rojas (33-12-1, 23KO) has typically fell short against top opponents, Kono is not the biggest of punchers with only 9 stoppages in his 29-fight career (25-4, 9KO). While a fight with Kameda would be quite lucrative, he had better not look past the Mexican.

Shimoda defends OPBF Super Bantamweight title in abbreviated fight

In action at Korakuen Hall earlier today, Teiken Gym’s Akifumi Shimoda successfully retained his regional 122-lb title by taking a unanimous decision over Chang-Hyun Son. The southpaw was ahead on the scorecards on the strength of his work to the Korean’s body when an accidental headbutt in the fourth round caused cuts on both men. Shimoda’s corner was unable to fix the cut completely and the referee stopped the bout early in the fifth as the bleeding worsened.

Shimoda improved to 22-2-1, 10KO. His only losses are to Kazuma Miura, who was undefeated at the time, and Mikihito Seto, a solid fighter and contender on the national level.

Nashiro to make comeback on October 11

Three months removed from losing his title to Hugo Cazares, Nashiro is planning his return to the ring on October 11 in Osaka. An opponent has not been set. The former WBA Super Flyweight champ had hoped to sign Cazares to a rubber match but was unable to complete a deal.

Nashiro spent 11 days on a tour of Mexico at the end of July and is considering an extended stay there to fight locally if he cannot secure another chance at a title within the year.

More Boxing Notes

• WBA Super Welterweight interim strapholder Nobuhiro Ishida is headed to Guadalajara, Mexico, to defend his title on September 4. Details on the opponent have not been revealed, but it is apparently a "popular" local fighter (not my words, trust me…). While it remains unknown as to whom exactly Ishida is fighting, it is certain it is not Austin Trout, who was thought to be the front-runner.
• Monthly awards for July were presented at Korakuen Hall during tonight’s card. It seems like it was a good month to be a junior welterweight as all three awards were presented to 140-pounders. MVP honors went to Motoki Sasaki for his OPBF winning effort against Randy Suico. National champ Yoshihiro Kamegai took the Fighting Spirit Award for stopping an unwilling Tomoyuki Shiotani and making the first defense of his title. Yusuke Kikuchi (8-1, 3KO) took the top rookie honors for his UD win over journeyman Mirai Ishigaki (16-5-1, 10KO).

e-mail Sidney Boquiren

For more coverage of Japanese boxing, follow Sidney on Twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter