Daiya Kira faces Carlos Canizales for the vacant WBA light flyweight title at Yokohama Buntai in Yokohama, Japan, on September 2 (early Wednesday morning in the U.S.).
- Japan’s Kira (4-0, 3 KOs) and Venezuela’s Canizales (28-3-1, 20 KOs) clash for the title previously held by Puerto Rico’s Rene Santiago (16-4, 9 KOs).
The WBA had ordered a mandatory bout between Santiago and Kira. However, after Santiago was unable to compete due to an injury, the organization designated him “Champion in Recess” and approved Kira vs Canizales for the vacant title.
In the co-feature, Japan’s Takeshi Ishii (11-1, 8 KOs) and Puerto Rico’s Wilfredo Mendez (20-3-2, 6 KOs) battle for the WBA minimumweight title.
- The organization’s “Super” titleholder at 105 lbs, Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo (14-0, 11 KOs) of Newark, New Jersey, is scheduled to move up two weight classes to challenge unified WBA and WBC flyweight champion Ricardo Sandoval (27-2, 18 KOs) on October 10 in Chicago.
How to watch: Live on Lemino in Japan.
Kira vs Canizales results
- Daiya Kira def. Carlos Canizales by KO (R7, 0:38)
- Takeshi Ishii def. Wilfredo Mendez by KO (R1, 1:05)
- Yuga Fujiki def. Jufel Salina by TKO (R5, 1:24)
- Katsuki Mori vs. Yoshi Sugiura – majority draw (96-94, 95-95, 95-95)
- Ren Ohashi vs. Keigo Kitamoto – technical draw (Ohashi cut from head clash, R2, 0:28)
- Junya Shimada def. Sathaporn Saart by KO (R2, 2:32)
Kira vs Canizales live blog
Daiya Kira KOs Carlos Canizales in seventh round to claim title
Daiya Kira (5-0, 4 KOs) defeats Carlos Canizales (28-4-1, 20 KOs) by seventh-round knockout to win the WBA light flyweight title.
On his way to victory, Kira also sent Canizales to the canvas in the third round.
Takeshi Ishii KOs Wilfredo Mendez in first round to claim title
Takeshi Ishii (12-1, 9 KOs) defeats Wilfredo Mendez (20-4-2, 6 KOs) by first-round knockout to win the WBA minimumweight title.
Ishii dropped Mendez with a body shot, and the referee waved off the fight after Mendez failed to get back up to continue.
Yuga Fujiki TKOs Jufel Salina in fifth round
Yuga Fujiki (2-0, 2 KOs) defeats Jufel Salina (11-8-1, 8 KOs) by fifth-round TKO at lightweight.
Katsuki Mori and Yoshi Sugiura fight to a draw
Katsuki Mori (14-4-2, 3 KOs) and Yoshi Sugiura (9-1-2, 3 KOs) fight to a majority draw at minimumweight. The judges scored the fight 96-94, 95-95, and 95-95. Mori retains his Japanese title.
Ren Ohashi vs Keigo Kitamoto ruled a draw
The featherweight bout between Ren Ohashi (5-0-1, 5 KOs) and Keigo Kitamoto (7-0-1, 5 KOs) was ruled a technical draw. Ohashi suffered a cut from an accidental clash of heads at the start of the second round.
Because the bout had not reached the required number of rounds, it was declared a draw.
Junya Shimada KOs Sathaporn Saart in second round
Kicking off the action, Junya Shimada (10-1-1, 4 KOs) defeats Sathaporn Saart (18-4, 9 KOs) by second-round knockout at super featherweight.
Official Weigh-In
Watch the weigh-in as the fighters step onto the scales to make their bouts official.
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