Two IBF titles are on the line on June 6 at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, where Masamichi Yabuki faces Rene Calixto, and Willibaldo Garcia takes on Andrew Moloney.
Japan’s three-time, two-division world champion Yabuki (19-4, 18 KOs) makes the second defense of his IBF flyweight title since dethroning Angel Ayala Lardizabal by 12th-round TKO last March. In his first defense last December, the 33-year-old knocked out Felix Alvarado, also in the final round.
Calixto (24-1-1, 10 KOs) makes his third attempt to become a champion after falling short by split decision to fellow Mexican and IBF super flyweight champion Garcia (23-6-2, 13 KOs) last May in their rematch, following a split draw in their first fight for the vacant title in late 2024. In his most recent outing last December, the 31-year-old TKO’d Ruben Lezama Gonzalez in the fourth round to bounce back from a defeat.
Garcia, 36, was scheduled to make his first defense against Kenshiro Teraji (25-2, 16 KOs) on the Inoue vs. Picasso undercard last December, but fell ill and the fight was canceled. The bout with the Japanese two-division world champion wasn’t rescheduled, and Garcia now faces mandatory challenger Moloney, who is currently ranked No. 3 by the IBF.
Australia’s former WBA super flyweight champion Moloney (28-4, 18 KOs) has won two fights since dropping a split decision to Pedro Guevara in mid-2024, which led to a brief retirement. In December of the same year, the 35-year-old returned to the ring to stop Jakrawut Majungoen in the third round. In his previous bout last November, Moloney TKO’d Pawan Kumar Arya.
Both title fights were officially announced during the press conference on Tuesday. The undercard matchups are expected to be announced shortly.