Over the last few months the WBA have been to their old tricks of handing out “interim” world titles, after announcing that they had planned to have a single title per division. Multiple times. In fact WBA President Gilberto Mendoza Jr famously held a meeting in Japan at the JBC head office in Tokyo, with the then JBC Chairman Hiroshi Akiyama and Hitoshi Watanabe, the then chairman of the East Japan Boxing Association and stated "We will narrow down the number of WBA champions to one." That was in 2017. 

Despite that claim from Mendoza, we should have known better, and between December 7th and December 15th 2024, more than 7 years after that meeting in Japan, we had 3 separate bouts for WBA “secondary” titles. 

On December 7th we saw Kubrat Pulev (32-3, 14) beat Manuel Charr (34-5, 20) for the WBA "world title", with Charr losing the title he hadn't defended in close to 2 years, just weeks before “Super” champion Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14) faces Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24) in a highly anticipated rematch. On December 13th we saw Antonio Vargas (19-1, 11) claim the WBA “interim” Bantamweight title, just weeks after Seiya Tsutsumi (12-0-2, 8) [堤聖也] won the title in a mandatory title shot against Takuma Inoue (20-2, 5) [井上拓真], and on December 14th we saw Murodjon Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10) [Ахмадалиев, Муроджон Кахарович] claim the WBA “interim” Super Bantamweight title, as he stopped Mexican fighter Ricardo Espinoza Franco (30-5-0-1, 25), just 10 days before Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25) [井上尚弥] was scheduled to defend the Super title against Sam Goodman (19-0, 8).

Amazingly just days after Vargas’ title win, which saw him beat Winston Guerrero (22-1, 13), the WBA have decided that Vargas is the new mandatory for Tsutsumi, a man who, again, won the title in a mandatory in October. By itself a Tsutsumi Vs Vargas fight would be a lot of fun, with Tsutsumi’s all out, hyper aggressive style coming up against the good boxing but questionable chin of Vargas. However the WBA having an interim title fight, and then announcing the next mandatory is an odd decision, especially as the “real” title hasn’t been sat on the sideline, with it having been fought for 3 times this year, including just 2 months before their interim title fight.

In recent days there has been articles about the WBA having been “shaken down” by Boxrec, whilst there may or may not be something to that story, it’s hard not to see the WBA’s recent expansion of multiple “world” titles, as something more sinister for the sport. It is as if the WBA, who are still led by the same Mendoza who spoke about only having a single champion in a division, have had serious memory losses, forgetting just how devalued they made their own titles, with every division having multiple champions. They appear to be on the road to replicating that, and perhaps are now heading to the point of no return. The point where they go the way of the WBU or the WBF and become a joke.

There is talk that Boxrec removing the WBA titles from records has tarnished the history of the sport. The reality is the WBA are tarnishing their own reputation, the sport and the status of being a world champion. Something they did in the past, and are now doing once again.

Whilst talk about a single champion in a division is never going to happen, we at least assumed we’d have a single WBA champion, something that had been looking likely in the last few years. Now however it’s clear that the sport will once again go back to having multiple people calling themselves the WBA “world” champion.

Whilst interim titles do have a purpose in the sport, and the WBC, IBF and WBO have all used them correctly, the 2 examples of the WBA from recent weeks have not made any sense. The champions haven’t been injured, they haven’t been out of the ring for a prolonged period, or are expecting to be and both titles have been fought for 3 times in the last 12 months. The moves from the WBA really aren’t about using “interim” titles, but more about confusing the fans and delegitimizing what it really means to be a world champion.

(A side note - All 3 of the recent WBA “secondary” bouts have aired on DAZN, whilst that’s likely just a coincidence, it is something worthy of noting at this point, another thing to note is that two of the bouts have lead to mandatory title fights for Japanese fighters, both coming after the JBC refused to allow the WBA "interim" title at 140lbs to be on the for the October bout between Ismael Barroso and Andy Hiraoka [平岡アンディ], again likely just a mere coincidence].

Earlier today Ohashi announced their next big show, scheduled for September 3rd at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, which is set to be headlined by Undisputed Super Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (27-0, 24) [井上尚弥] defending his titles against former IBF champion TJ Doheny (26-4, 19).

One of the bouts announced for the show will be a showdown at 140lbs between Ismael Barroso (25-4-2, 23), the current WBA "interim" champion, and the unbeaten Andy Hiraoka (23-0, 18) [平岡アンディ].

​At the time there was some confusion over the status of that particular bout, with some mistakenly reporting it was going to be a third world title bout on the show. As it turns out, that bout is actually world title eliminator, as confirmed by Ohashi their bout listing for the show, see below. It was also apparent at the press conference, streamed on Lemino, that the show was only a double world title show, Hiroka not attending with while stablemates Inoue and WBO Bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8) [武居由樹] did.

In the days coming up to the press conference for the show numerous reports had circulated about the contest, and about it being for Barroso’s “interim” title. What a lot of them failed to realise is that the JBC, who will be sanctioning the event, has not recognised the WBA “interim” titles since since February 19th 2011, back when there was 10 “interim” titles from the 17 weight classes, and when there was 3 different WBA Bantamweight champions, including “regular” champion Koki Kameda. The day after that decision they held a press conference with JBC Secretary General Tsuyoshi Yasukochi saying, "This is a terrible situation that is different from the original meaning (regarding "interim" titles). As the JBC, we cannot recognize interim titles as world titles."

Whilst refusing to recognise the WBA "interim" titles, they did allow the WBC “interim” titles to continue to be recognised, as the WBC used their interim status for what was essentially the original meaning, a title created when a champion is incapacitated. 

This move by the JBC was followed by the WBA themselves a few years later, when they announced that they were going to be getting rid of the titles, except in exceptional circumstances. On February 22nd 2017 Gilberto Mendoza Jr, the president of the WBA, travelled to Japan and held a meeting at the JBC head office in Tokyo, where he met the then JBC Chairman Hiroshi Akiyama and Hitoshi Watanabe, the then chairman of the East Japan Boxing Association. During that meeting he explained "We will narrow down the number of WBA champions to one." He explained that the interim titles were "created to give opportunities to boxers from economically disadvantaged areas, but ultimately the value of the belt has become diluted." He went on to say that there were 7 out of the 17 weight classes with a single champion and is quoted in the Japanese press as saying “this will happen in all weight classes by 2018." At the time he was over trying to push for a new WBA regional title, and get the JBC’s support, though it doesn’t appear the JBC ever actually gave that support. 

The WBA echoed their own view on “interim” titles in August 2021, when Carlos Chavez, chairman of the WBA Championship Committee announced “The Championships Committee decided that all Interim Championship titles are withdrawn with immediate effect”.

Yet now we are in a situation where there is 1 single interim champion, Barroso at 140lbs. Along with multiple champions, be it any two of “Super”, “World”, or “in Recess”, in a subsequent 4 other divisions. They are Heavyweight (Usyk - “Super”, Charr “World), Super Middleweight (Canelo - “Super”, Morrell - “World”), Super Welterweight (Madrimov - “World”, Charlo -” In Recess”), Welterweight (Crawford - “Super”, Stanionis -”World”).

As well as the 4 divisions mentioned above, there are 10 divisions currently having a “Gold” champion, which appears to have taken the place of what was once the “interim” title.

​(All champions, designations and names are according to the WBA’s website as of July 16th 2024).

This does not appear to be fitting in with the WBA’s 2017 promise of all weight classes having a single champion by 2018, and in fact Baroso is the second WBA Lightweight “interim” champion since 2018, following Rolly Romero who actually beat Barroso for the vacant “World” title last year.

Despite the WBA's own comments, and how they have failed to fulfil them, and only have a single champion at every weight, the JBC have not gone back on their word, and still do not recognise WBA "interim" title fights, something that isn't set to change. This was seen, notably, in 2014, when Koki Eto was unable to defend his WBA "interim" Flyweight title, which he won in late 2013, in Japan and instead dropped the title to fight for the OPBF title, stopping Ardin Diale in the bout after winning the "interim" belt.

What is unclear is what will happen to the title. If Barroso wins there is a chance the WBA will regard it as a successful defense, however if Hiraoka wins the JBC will not recognise the title and it could either remain with Barroso, or end up vacant. Regardless, the winner will be expecting to face Isaac Cruz, for the World title in the not too distant future.

[Ed’s note - David Morell’s next bout is for the WBA “World” title at Light Heavyweight, a division that has a current “Super” champion Dmitry Bivol]
[Ed’s note II - When Koki Kameda was the WBA “regular” Bantamweight champion, Hugo Ruiz was the "interim" and Anelmo Moreno was the "Super" champion]
[Ed’s note III - The “regular” tag was applied by the media and fans, and not by the WBA, who had “Interim”, “World” and “Super”]

One of the most interesting conversations to see unfurl is the conversation about who is the #1 pound for pound fighter on the planet. Sometimes the sport does have a clear #1, for example for much of Floyd Mayweather's career he was undeniably the #1 fighter on the planet, and by the end of his career he beat the only man who really gave him much of a run for that claim. Right now however there is no consensus #1. In fact there's 3 or even 4 fighters who could all make an argument to be #1 in the sport, and in fairness to them it seems unlikely we'll see them ever clash. This isn't like Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, where there was talk of the men fighting, but instead it's fighters from completely different weight classes all in the mix to be the sports best boxer.
 
Today we're going to make the case for Naoya Inoue to be regarded as the #1 pound for pound fighter.

​We know some people will disagree, others will agree, but as with arse holes, we all have an opinion, we all have our beliefs, and we can all be respectful. We will make the case, but we expect many will disagree, and choose many Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, or Terence Crawford as the #1 fighter. Thing is whilst we would disagree with those picks, we do understand how fans can pick either guy.

When it comes to being a pound for pound top fighter one thing we all expect is for a fighter to fight through multiple weight classes. The guys we've previously mentioned, such as Mayweather, Pacquiao, Alvarez and Crawford, have all done that. It's, in many ways, a sign of greatness. Not just having success at your natural weight but managing to have success across multiple weight classes.
 
Of course not all multi-weight world champions are the same. For example few would ever suggest Leo Gamez was a pound for pound great in his prime, despite the fact he was the first fighter to win world titles across the lowest 4 weight classes. And that was before the WBA handed out titles like they belonged in Happy Meals. In fact Gamez was only the sixth man to win world titles at 4 weights.
 
As many will know Inoue is a 3-weight champion and he is a legitimate 3-weight champion. He's not someone who has picked up just picked secondary titles and held them, instead he's actually done something we don't see too often, but he's taken every world title from a reigning champion. No vacant titles for him.
 
His title wins have come against legitimately top level opponents. His first title win came against Adrian Hernandez, the then WBC Light Flyweight champion, his second came against Omar Andres Narvaez, the then WBO Super Flyweight champion, then he beat Jamie McDonnell for the WBA Bantamweight title, before beating Emmanuel Rodriguez for the IBF Bantamweight title and the Nonito Donaire for the WBA Bantamweight "super" title.
 
Some will point towards Jamie McDonnell holding a secondary title, and technically that was true, but it does ignore the history behind McDonnell's reign and the fact that boxing politics saw him being stripped of the IBF title and denied the WBO title (See note). And it also ignores the fact Inoue went on to win the WBA "super" title soon afterwards.
 
Not only did Inoue dethrone good champions, but he also made at least one defense of all every world title he has won. This wasn't a case of Inoue dipping his toes at a weight to win a belt and skipping town, but actually laying down some roots at all 3 weights. ​

One other thing to note is that Inoue is one of the few fighters to have had success whilst completely skipping a division. The plan had been for him to get a Flyweight title bout at the end of 2014, but with no Flyweight champions available he skipped the division and took on the long reigning Narvaez at Super Flyweight instead.

One thing that really needs to be mentioned is recent form. What have you done lately? If we ignore this one fighters like Roman Gonzalez and Manny Pacquiao would all rank incredibly highly on the pound for pound lists. Typically we might see Pacquiao and Gonzalez in the top 10, but their competition and weight exploits should see them higher in the rankings. Sadly though both guys have failed to do much at the top level in recent years.
 
With that in mind we should perhaps look back over the last 36 months. In that time Inoue has beaten Yoan Boyeaux, Jamie McDonnell, Juan Carlos Payano, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Nonito Donaire and Jason Moloney. That's a 6-0 (5) record with 5 wins over legitimate world class fighters, and no debatable wins. They have all been definitive.
 
In that same time we've seen Canelo fight 4 times, going 4-0 with wins over Gennady Golovkin, Rocky Fielding, Daniel Jacobs and Sergey Kovalev. The win over Golovkin was heavily debated and the win over Fielding was regarded as a joke, much like Inoue's over Boyeaux. However the wins over Jacobs and Kovalev do hold up very well, particularly the one over Jacob's. He probably has the better wins here, but he also has arguably the weakest win, the one over fielding, and a very hotly debated one.
 
Likewise in that same period of time Terence Crawford Jeff Horn, Jose Benavidez, Amir Khan and Egidijus Kavaliauskas, and will likely add Kell Brook to his ledger on November 14th. All of those wins have been decisive, and he has stopped all 4 men. Whilst Horn was a reigning champion he wasn't highly regarded, Benavidez was once regarded highly but had failed to live up to his potential, Khan was a former world champion but had looked a long way from his best and Kavaliauskas was a live under-dog but relatively untested. He has been dominant, but against a lower tier of opposition.

Not so much a criteria used for Pound for Pound conversation but something worth thinking about is the future position of fighters in the rankings.
 
For the 27 year old Inoue things are very bright. There are a host of great fights out there for him, including showdowns with Bantamweights like John Riel Casimero, Nordine Oubaali, Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux. Or Super Flyweights like Juan Francisco Estrada, Roman Gonzalez, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Jerwin Ancajas or even Donnie Nietes. He could, and likely will, move up to Super Bantamweight in a year or two, opening up bouts against the likes of Murodjon Akhmadaliev, Luis Nery, Ryosuke Iwasa, Daniel Roman, Michael Conlan, Isaac Dogboe. Inoue is in a great position looking forward.
 
At the moment we know that the 33 year old Terence Crawford's next bout is an underwhelming one against Kell Brook, and he has genuinely struggled to get decent Welterweights in the ring with him. If he fails to land a good opponent next year he'll be on the back end of his prime years, and Top Rank still won't have any attractive bouts for him.
 
Canelo is battling with his broadcaster and promoter outside of the ring. At just 30 years old he could, potentially, waste a year or two and still have a lot of attractive bouts on the table. It's a shame that he's being kept out of the ring and battling in the legal system however. He has plenty of potential opponents, but it's very unclear when he'll be back in the ring. He's been out of the ring for a year and if the legal case extends another 6 months, and there is a chance of that, it could be 18 months of his prime out of the ring.
 
The 33 year old Oleksandr Usyk is one of the most talented fighters on the planet. Sadly however his future doesn't look the best. He turns 34 in January and his style will struggle to hold up with his ageing body. He also will be going up against some significantly bigger men. Wins against Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury would be huge for him, but he would be an under-dog against either man, and it's hard to imagine him having prolonged success as a Heavyweight.
 
Teofimo Lopez looks to be the new kid on the block and the American has all the tools to be a future pound for great. He neutralised the fantastic Vasyl Lomachenko recently, and although he has struggled at times he ticks pretty much every box. Much like Inoue he wants to face the best and there is serious competition out there for him at 135lbs and 140lbs. Aged just 23 he has all the tools to be a major player in the coming years, though we do need to see what he's like when he moves through the weights.
 
We've just mentioned Vasyl Lomachenko and he does deserve a mention here. He's probably the best talent in boxing. He can do things others can't even imagine doing. Sadly however he was completely neutralised by Teofimo Lopez earlier this year, and with repeated injuries the 32 year old Ukrainian doesn't appear to have a long future in the sport. He turns 33 early next year and with repeated injuries his long term potential is limited, especially with his high energy style. He's never looked the most comfortable at Lightweight and it does seem likely that a move down in weight would be best for his career.
 
The 29 year old Josh Taylor is some one with a potentially bright future. He turns 30 in January and will, by then, be looking to to face fellow unified champion Jose Carlos Ramirez to become the undisputed champion at 140lbs. When he does that we do hope that the "Tartan Tornado" doesn't immediately move up in weight, as he will likely find himself in the same position that Terence Crawford is in, struggling to get leading Welterweights in the ring with him. We do want to see fighters move up in weight, but sometimes a fighter, and fans, need to be patient and we hope that Taylor can wait until Top Rank have some interesting Welterweights before moving up.
 
The past 2 years have been huge for the Charlo twins, and they headlined a split PPV  earlier this year. Of the two 30 year old fighters Jermell Charlo has the better claim to be in the pound for pound conversation and is a unified champion champion at 154lbs with wins against good competition. He is in a great position at the moment, though longer term there may be some issues. We suspect he'll be racing for the WBO title next year, to become the undisputed champion at 154lbs, and the longer he stays at 154lbs the better his competition can be. Sadly though we don't see many good bouts for him at Middleweight, given so much of the division is tied up on DAZN whilst he's with PBC, and deson't have the financial backing to get people to cross the street.
 
In terms of skills few match Juan Francisco Estrada, and he is in an amazing position right now. The 30 year old Super Flyweight has been ordered to face Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, in what will be their third bout, and also has eyes on a second bout with Roman Gonzalez. After those bouts there are potential contests with Donnie Nietes and Kazuto Ioka for him at Super Flyweight, or a potential move to Bantamweight to pursue Inoue. He's in a great position, given who he can face, and his age. We do worry about the damage he's taken, and will take against Srisaket and Gonzalez, but there are few fighters with the options there that he has right now.
 
There are some great fighters out there, and some are laying down the ground work now to not just be in the pound for pound ratings but also be in them long term. Others however seem likely to struggle to solidify, or improve, their position. Either way Inoue is in a great position to add to his legacy, and even though many of his main rivals are with PBC it seems likely that the finances would make sense for them to cross the street to face the Monster, not something that is always the case. ​

Obviously we're going to say yes. He ticks more of the boxes than anyone else for us. He has the skills to match anyone in the sport, he has notable achievements across multiple weights, and he's got the mix of solid competition through his career and a high level of recent competition. He's rarely losing rounds, bouts with him involved aren't competitive and he's notching big win after big win. 

Unlike many fighters Inoue is somewhat immune to the issues affecting boxing in the US. He is the draw at Bantamweight, he's the man other Bantamweights want to face, and there is no problems with him not getting stiff competition. The division he's in, plus divisions either side of him, as full of options. 

Notably he is one of the very few active fighters in, or around, the pound for pound discussion to have scored wins on 3 different continents. This is a sign of someone who has the confidence to to travel. He could stay at home, like many fighters, but instead has travelled, and has scored wins in Asia, Europe and North America. Something we'd love to see other top fighters do. 
 
We understand fans may disagree, and may use different criteria, and that's fine. For us however, Inoue is now the #1 pound for pound fighter on the planet, and is very much in the perfect position to solidify that claim over the next year or so. That is not something we can see for some of the other fighters in the discussion.
 

​
Note-In 2013 Jamie McDonnell won the IBF Bantamweight title but was stripped due to failing to defend against the mandatory challenger after splitting with his then promoter. The title was then won by a man he had beaten in 2011. He then won the WBA "regular" title, made a string of defenses including one over the previous WBO champion Tomoki Kameda, who vacated to face the then "unranked" McDonnell, who was the WBA "regular" champion. The political situation around McDonnell was a farce and a black eye for the IBF and WBO.

(Images courtesy of Ohashi Gym)

This coming weekend we'll see  Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16) make his Las Vegas debut, as he looks to defend the WBA "Super" and IBF Bantamweight titles. In the opposite corner will be Australian challenger Jason Moloney (21-1, 18).
 
Before this bout we have heard a lot about Japanese fighters and their form internationally, so ahead of this weekend's bout we've decided to look at some recent events where we've seen Japanese fighters in Las Vegas. 
 
The last win by a Japanese boxer in Las Vegas
November 30th 2019 - Andy Hiraoka TKO2 Rogelio Casarez
Just 11 months ago Inoue's stable mate Andy Hiraoka travelled over to the US and beat Rogelio Casarez in 2 rounds to make a successful US debut. This was Hiraoka's first bout under the Top Rank banner, and was the ideal way for him to make a statement and impress the likes of Bob Arum. Unfortunately he failed to build on this momentum and hasn't fought since though he does, at the time of writing, hold the distinction of being the last Japanese fighter to win in Sin City.
 
An interesting caveat to add here is that Hiraoka actually fights again this weekend. In fact he'll do so before Inoue, as he takes on Rickey Edwards, so there is a chance this fact will be incorrect by the time Inoue fights. If Hiraoka does beat Edwards he'll be one of the very, very few Japanese fighters to have scored multiple wins in Las Vegas!
 
The last world title fight involving a Japanese fighter in Las Vegas
October 20th 2018 - Rob Brant UD12 Ryota Murata I
Just over 2 years ago we saw a massive upset as unheralded American challenger upset the then WBA "regular" Middleweight champion Ryota Murata with a wide 12 round decision. The bout, a WBA mandatory, seemed like Murata over-looked Rob Brant and paid for it, losing pretty much every round. Thankfully for Murata the two men engaged in a rematch 9 months later with Murata beating Brant in 2 rounds to reclaim the title.
 
Interestingly this was Murata's third bout in Las Vegas, and he had won the previous 2. This was also the last time a Japanese fighter lost a world title bout in Japan
 
The last time a Japanese world champion was stopped in Las Vegas
November 21st 2015 - Francisco Vargas TKO9 Takashi Miura
We need to go back to 2015 to find the last time a Japanese world champion was stopped in a world title bout in Las Vegas, and that came in the sensational bout between Takashi Miura and Francisco Vargas. This amazing battle for the WBC Super Featherweight title was one of the best bouts of the year and saw both men being dropped, and dynamite being thrown by both men. If you've never seen this one, you really do your self a watch of it before the weekend!
 
The last successful world title defense a Japanese world champion in Las Vegas
July 12th 2014 - Tomoki Kameda KO 7 Pungluang Sor Singyu
The last successful world title defense by a Japanese world champion in Las Vegas came more than 6 years ago, when Tomoki Kameda successfully defended the WBO Bantamweight title against Pungluang Sor Singyu, stopping the Thai with a brutal body shot in round 7. Interestingly this was Kameda's Las Vegas debut, and is still his only bout there.
 
It's also worth noting that on October 1st 2011 Toshiaki Nishioka retained the WBC Super Bantamweight title with a unanimous decision win over Rafael Marquez. This was the first time a Japanese fighter had successfully defended a world title in Las Vegas. Interestingly this was Nishioka's third, and final, bout in Las Vegas and came almost 9 years after his Las Vegas debut. It's worth noting Nishioka's record in those 3 bouts was 3-0.
 
The last No Contest in a world title fight featuring a Japanese fighter in Las Vegas
December 9th 2017 - Kenichi Ogawa Vs Tevin Farmer
No Contests are always a bit of an oddity and a rarity but in December 2017 we did have one as Kenichi Ogawa and Tevin Farmer had their clash become a No Contest following a failed drug test for Ogawa. This bout had originally seen Ogawa win a controversial decision but that was over-turned due to the drug test, which found a steroid in his sample.
 
The last draw by a Japanese fighter in Las Vegas
October 21st 2017 - Shoki Sakai D8 Cameron Krael
Given how rare draws are we thought this was worth adding, despite the fact it wasn't a world title bout. The last draw for a Japanese fighter in Las Vegas came in October 2017 when Shoki Sakai fought to an 8 round draw with Cameron Krael as Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall. Unlike most of the bouts here this was on a Mayweather Promotions show and came before the Japanese fight, Sakai, had even fought in Japan.
 
One interesting thing to note is that no Japanese fighter has ever won a world title in Las Vegas. Only 5 Japanese fighters have actually claimed world titles on US soil, with the most recent being Masayuki Ito and then, going backwards, Tadashi Mihara, Yatsusune Uehara, Kuniaki Shibata and Shozo Saijo.
 
Any other interesting trivia when it comes to Las Vegas?
This will be the first bout for some version of the WBA Bantamweight title to be held in Las Vegas in 20 years! The last time the title was defended there was Paulie Ayala's 12 round majority decision win over Johnny Bredahl in 2000. For the last WBA Bantamweight title change we need to go back to 1999 when Ayala won the title from Johnny Tapia.
 
For those wondering the WBA Bantamweight "Super" title has never been fought for in Las Vegas.
 
The last defense of the IBF Bantamweight title in Las Vegas came in 2012, when Leo Santa Cruz beat Eric Morel in 5 rounds. Incidentally the title actually changed hands a year earlier in Las Vegas, when Abner Mares dethroned Joseph Agbeko in a controversial clash in what is the last time the IBF Bantamweight title was won in the City. Rather interestingly the title has changed hands in 2 of the last 3 bouts where it has been fought for in Las Vegas.
 
One other interesting fact is that in December 1996 Yuichi Kasai came up short against the then WBA Super Bantamweight Antonio Cermeno. The two men would notable have a rematch the following year which ended with a brutal KO win for Cermeno. Rather interestingly Kasai was is a close friend of Koji Matsumoto, a trainer at the Ohashi Gym, the same Ohashi Gym that Inoue, and Andy Hiraoka, fight out of!
 ​
​*Note this is not a comprehensive list of all bouts, and is very much focused on recent contests.

Over the last few days we've worked our way through the top 10 rankings for the Asian scene at Minimumweight through to Super Flyweight and today we add the Bantamweight rankings, and this is one of the divisions with incredible depth. We feel the #1 is a consensus pick, #2 and #3 are interchangeable and then the other 7 are a mix of really talented fighters in one of the most packed top 10's that we'll be covering. There could be some debate about the placements, but in reality there's not a lot separating some of these guys. However, that's not a bad thing, and it helps show the competitive nature of the division right now.
 
1-Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16)
The current WBA "Super" and IBF unified champion champion is arguably the face of Asian boxing right now, Naoya Inoue. The heavy handed 27 year old from Kanagawa is already a 3 weight world champion and within just 19 fights is one of the sports genuine stars. After winning world titles at Light Flyweight and Super Flyweight Inoue moved to Bantamweight and decimated Jamie McDonnell, Juan Carlos Payano and Emmanuel Rodriguez, before working hard to defeat Nonito Donaire in the WBSS Finale last November. The bout against Donaire saw Inoue needing to prove his toughness, chin and will to win and proving them in the way he did really boosted his standing in our eyes, and he answered some real questions. Having now shown he can fight through adversity we know Inoue is much, much more than just an offensive "Monster".
 
2-Nonito Donaire (40-6, 26)
Having given Inoue such a tough bout in the WBSS final it's fair to suggest that Nonito Donaire is #2, or at worst #3, in division in regards to Asian fighters. The 37 year old Filipino veteran is a physical monster at the weight, with huge size advantages over almost everyone else at 118lbs. He's not just big but he's also strong, very powerful, incredibly tough and a nightmare to fight. He's not as quick as he once was, though as he's lost speed he has adapted and certainly throws fewer wild shots than he once did. There is a case of father time being on his back, but the "Filipino Flash", is experienced, skilled, strong, and has become a more intelligent fighter as the years have gone on. We don't imagine he'll have a Bernard Hopkins-esque career, but he did show there is more than just a bit of life left in his career.
 
3-John Riel Casimero (29-4, 20)
We mentioned that Donaire was either #2 or #3, the man he is potentially interchangeable with is WBO champion John Riel Casimero. Casimero is a 3-weight world champion, and is someone who has long been over-looked by fans of the sport. He's won titles at at 108lbs, 112lbs and now Bantameight. Blessed with confidence, speed and power Casimero is nightmare to face when he's on song. He is however rather unpredictable and he can look both amazing and terrible in the same fight. He won the WBO title last year, stopping Zolani Tete, and seems to be enjoying a good run of form, though that could change at any moment. Originally the plan had been for Casimero to face off with Inoue in April though that bout was cancelled by on going global situation. Now it appears the two men could end up going in different directions with Casimero now looking likely to face Joshua Greer Jr, in a mandatory title defense instead.
 
4-Keita Kurihara (15-5, 13)
After the top 3 we end up with 4 or 5 guys who are very tricky to split, and matching any of them would give some compelling bouts. Among those "chasing group" is OPBF champion Keita Kurihara, a hard hitting 27 year from Japan. On paper Kurihara shouldn't be here, with 5 losses from his 20 bouts, however those losses don't tell the full story of where Kurihara is now. In fact 4 of his losses came in his first 7 bouts and he has only been beaten once in his last 13, with that coming to Hiroaki Teshigawara. In that time he has beaten Ryan Lumacad, Yuki Strong Kobayashi, Warlito Parrenas and Sukkasem Kietyongyuth. He's not the most talented of the ones in this area of the rankings, through he is very much among the most dangerous.
 
5-Reymart Gaballo (23-0, 20)
The most overlooked man in the division, by some margin, is 23 year old Filipino Reymart Gaballo. Gaballo is a joy to watch, but also a freakishly good fighter with some absolutely terrifying traits. He's lightning quick, tall and rangy, with frightening power, very confident and despite look a bit raw around the edges appears to take a good shot, and throw and even better one. His best win to date is probably over Stephon Young, more than 2 years ago, and since then has been supposedly decent opponents. We're really looking forward to seeing the leash being off Gaballo and allowing him to back up our high ranking of him as he looks like the sort of fighter who really could stamp his authority on the division.
 
6-Takuma Inoue (13-1, 3)
Naoya Inoue's little brother, Takuma Inoue, is pretty much the opposite of Keita Kurihara. Whilst Kurihara is all about power Inoue at the cost of skills Takuma Inoue is very much about skills and movement, at the expense of his power. He's a smart boxer-mover, with under-defense, very good movement and sharp punches, but a lack of punching power a strange lack of physical strength, despite visibly looking strong. His 2019 loss to Nordine Oubaali saw him being bullied for much of the fight, though his will to win shined through late on and he pushed Oubaali hard late on, answer questions about his heart and his stamina. We do wonder whether he could drop back down to Super Flyweight, where he fought earlier in his career. If he could he would a great addition there, but instead might find his success being a bit limited at Bantamweight. Saying that however he's only 24 and is still a boxing baby, despite being a pro since 2013. He might not be the generational talent that his older brother is, but don't write him off at after just a single loss.
 
7-Nawaphon Por Chokchai (48-1-1, 38)
Former Flyweight world title challenger Nawaphon Por Chokchai, also known by various other names, has reeled off 12 wins since being stopped by Juan Hernandez back in 2017. Whilst his competition hasn't been the best he has scored notable victories over Amnat Ruenrroeng, Richard Claveras, Sonny Boy Jaro and Ryan Lumacad since his sole defeat, putting him back among the contenders looking for a shot. His record is padded, but watching him, you know he can step it up and would be a nightmare for many of the divisional elite. Some how he's only 28 at the moment, and right bang in his prime, despite already having 50 bouts to his name. Another fighter we can't right off for just having a loss against his name.
 
8-Michael Dasmarinas (30-2-1, 20)
There's an argument that 27 year Filipino Michael Dasmarinas should be much higher up this list, and we do appreciate those arguments. Wins over Karim Guerfi and Kenny Demecillo are very good wins. Sadly however we can't the gift he got against Manyo Plange out of our head, and his win over Demecillo was certainly not the clear cut win that many would have expected for a supposed top divisional talent. He's skilled and talented, but we do wonder if he has maybe hit an early peak and is now, perhaps, heading the wrong way. He's been a sparring partner for both of the Inoue brothers, and is technically a mandatory for the IBF title, but we do wonder whether he'd last long with the Monster if, or when, they fight.
 
9-Yusuke Suzuki (11-3, 7)
Japanese national champion Yusuke Suzuki is another fighter with a record looks out of place in this top 10, but he certainly belongs here. He would also be an absolute nightmare for many in the rankings. The 31 year old southpaw is a solid puncher, teak tough, with an insane work rate and excellent will to win. He can be out boxed, and he cant be out manoeuvred, but but he's a dark horse in the division and certainly deserves a mention. Last time out he over-came some awful facial swelling to out point Yuta Saito. To date he has only lost once at the weight, and that was a split decision in the Philippines to the touted Jeffrey Francisco. Since then he has reeled off 5 wins and come back from a nasty injury. He's not in the mix for the higher positions but is pretty much interchangeable with the man ranked #9.
 
10-Yuki Strong Kobayashi (16-8, 9)
Another fight who's record doesn't scream "top 10" is Yuki Strong Kobayashi, who is in the list due to his recent results. In the last 60 months he had gone 6-1 (3) with his only loss being a close one to Keita Kurihara. In that same time he has beaten Satoshi Ozawa, Vicent Astrolabio and Ben Mananquil. The win over Mananquil saw him net the WBO Asia Pacific title and score a recent big surprise last year over the talented Filipino. Kobayashi has improved from the fighter he once was, and when he was 10-7 (5) his career very much seemed like it was going nowhere but the 28 year old is now an experienced regional champion and with Muto gym well and truly behind him his future is bright. He's not near the top of this list, but certainly belongs on it. A rematch between him and Kurihara would be good, as would a bout with Suzuki.
 
On the Bubble:
Ben Mananquil, Kenny Demecillo, Renz Rosia, Yelshat Nikhemttolla, Petch Sor Chitpatttana, and Carl Jammes Martin