(July 31, 2023) – Japan’s unified WBC/WBA light flyweight world champion Kenshiro Teraji will defend his titles against South African two-division world champion Hekkie Budler on Monday, September 18, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
 
In the co-feature, undefeated Japanese southpaw Junto Nakatani makes the first defense of his WBO junior bantamweight world title against Mexican contender Argi Cortes.
 
Teraji-Budler, Nakatani-Cortes and additional undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively in the U.S. in the early morning hours on ESPN+.
 
Teraji (21-1, 13 KOs) earned his first world title by defeating Ganigan Lopez for the WBC 108-pound strap in May 2018. He made eight defenses before losing the belt via 10^th-round TKO against Masamichi Yabuki in September 2021. The 31-year-old avenged his lone defeat by stopping Yabuki in the third round of their March 2022 rematch to regain the title. Teraji then stopped Hiroto Kyoguchi last November in the seventh round to unify the WBC and WBA titles. He defended his unified championship with a ninth-round TKO against then-unbeaten contender Anthony Olascuaga in April. 
 
Budler (35-4, 11 KOs) captured the WBA minimumweight world title with a first-round knockout win against Karluis Diaz in March 2014. He made four defenses before losing the belt to Byron Rojas in March 2016. Two years later, he decisioned Ryoichi Taguchi to capture the WBA and IBF light flyweight titles. He vacated his IBF strap and lost the WBA title in his first defense, a 10^th-round TKO loss to Hiroto Kyguchi in December 2018. The 35-year-old veteran is 3-0 since losing his title, including a decision win over former WBO champ Elwin Soto.
 
Nakatani (25-0, 19 KOs) won the vacant WBO flyweight world title in November 2020 with an eighth-round knockout against Giemel Magramo. He defended it twice, defeating Angel Acosta in four rounds and knocking out Ryota Yamauchi in eight. He moved up to junior bantamweight and captured the WBO crown with a highlight-reel knockout against former WBA champ Andrew Moloney in May. Cortes (25-3-2, 10 KOs) is a nine-year pro who nearly upset Juan Francisco Estrada in a fiercely-contested September 2022 showdown. Cortes is coming off a 10-round majority decision win over Adolfo Castillo Gonzalez in March.

In other streaming action from Tokyo:

• Former multi-division kickboxing world champion Tenshin Nasukawa (1-0) will return in an eight-round Junior featherweight battle against undefeated Mexican Juan Flores Aceves (9-0, 7 KOs). Nasukawa made his pro boxing debut in April with a six-round decision win over Yuki Yonaha, while Aceves is coming off an eighth-round TKO against then-unbeaten  Adolfo Perez Lopez in June.
   
• Anthony Olascuaga (5-1, 3 KOs), from Los Angeles, looks to bounce back from his defeat to Teraji in an eight-round light flyweight battle against Filipino former world title challenger Giemel Magramo (28-3, 23 KOs).

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(June 22, 2022) — Two former world champions will battle for one more shot at title glory. Mexico’s Elwin “La Pulga” Soto and South African two-weight world champion Hekkie “The Hexecutioner” Budler will collide in a 12-round WBC light flyweight title eliminator this Saturday, June 25, at Palenque Fex in Mexicali, Mexico.

Soto hails from San Felipe, a two-hour drive from Mexicali, and will have the home crowd advantage. Budler, from Johannesburg, is a 34-year-old veteran who will be making only his third career appearance in North America.

Soto-Budler tops a loaded night of fights streaming live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Soto (19-2, 13 KOs) won the WBO light flyweight title in June 2019 with a come-from-behind 12th-round stoppage over Angel “Tito” Acosta. He successfully defended that belt four times over the next two years, finally losing his belt last October to Jonathan Gonzalez by split decision. He has not fought since the Gonzalez defeat and hopes a win over Budler will earn him a shot at WBC world champion Kenshiro Teraji.

Budler (33-4, 10 KOs) has been 12 rounds 17 times and won the WBA 105-pound title in March 2014 when he stopped Karluis Diaz in one round. He defended that belt four times before losing a tight decision to Byron Rojas. In May 2018, Budler edged Ryoichi Taguchi by decision to win the WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine 108-pound titles. His reign as the top 108-pounder lasted a little more than seven months. After taking a little more than two years off, Budler returned last May in Johannesburg and won the WBC Silver light flyweight belt with a unanimous decision over Jonathan Almacen.

In other streaming action:

• Junior featherweight prospect Jose Ramirez Maciel (16-1, 9 KOs), from Mexicali looks for his 13^th consecutive victory against Jorge Luis Martinez Monreal (13-1-1, 8 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature.
   
• Lightweight puncher Diego Torres Nunez (14-0, 13 KOs), who knocked out 13 straight foes to start his pro career, hopes to get back on the knockout track in a 10-rounder against Royder Dzul Camacho (9-3-2, 3 KOs), who is unbeaten in his last five fights.
   
• In an eight-rounder at featherweight, Rafael “El Divino” Espinoza (18-0, 15 KOs) will match up against Gerardo Valenzuela Munoz (10-1, 9 KOs). Espinoza has scored first-round knockouts in his last two fights.
   
• Hermosillo-born flyweight prospect Yahir Frank (9-0, 6 KOs), a 19-year-old upstart, hopes to author a career-best victory against Carlos Mejia (8-2-1, 2 KOs) in an eight-rounder. 

About ESPN+
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