Two title bouts to be held in Japan on September 16th

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.”