According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, two world title bouts will be held in Osaka, Japan on September 16th.
Long-reigning bantamweight world titleholder Shinsuke Yamanaka and former titlist Anselmo Moreno.
Also on the card, junior featherweight world titleholder Hugo Ruiz (36-3, 32 KOs) will defend his belt against former bantamweight titleholder Hozumi Hasegawa (35-5, 15 KOs).
“After I completed my 10th consecutive title defense in March, I was hoping for a unification match or a big match overseas,” Yamanaka said during a news conference to announce the bout on Wednesday in Tokyo, according to the Japan Times. “But to keep my motivation, [Teiken promoter Akihiko Honda] set up the fight against Moreno, for which I’m thankful.
“I want to win in a better way [this time]. We’re going to work on our plans to do so. But if I get myself prepared properly, I have the confidence to win.”
“It’s been two years since my last title fight, and I’ve practiced hard every day, waiting [for this chance],” Hasegawa said at the news conference. “Now I shall only focus on my training. I’ve had so many fights in my career, and I don’t have to say a lot any more. I consider this my last challenge, and I’ll train as hard as possible so I won’t have any regrets.”
