Ricardo Sandoval (27-2, 18 KOs) dethroned WBA and WBC flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji (25-2, 16 KOs), winning a 12-round split decision in an upset on Wednesday night at the Yokohama Buntai in Yokohama, Japan.
The scores were 117-110, 115-112 for Sandoval and 114-113 for Teraji. You can argue that the judge who scored it wide for Sandova, 26, was too generous in his scoring because it was a lot closer than the 117-110 that he turned in. Interestingly, a visiting fighter was given favorable scores by a wide margin rather than the home guy, Teraji.
Early on, Teraji looked like he was going to be too good for Sandoval, using movement and fast combinations to get the better of the American. In round five, Teraji, 33, dropped Sandoval with a right hand to the head.
Teraji’s Fatigue: Key Factor
Sandoval came back strong, attacking Teraji with body shots and using nonstop pressure to wear down the older fighter. The pressure from Sandoval slowly wore down Teraji, who looked exhausted by the ninth round. His speed, movement, and power deteriorated in the last four rounds from the effects of the constant attacks from Sandoval.
The end result was due to the fatigue of Teraji rather than Sandoval looking particularly great. What may have played a role in the fight was the brutal 12-round fight that Teraji had four months ago against Seigo Yuri Akui on March 13th in Japan.
Although Teraji won by a 12th-round knockout, it was a razor-close contest up until then, and he’d taken a lot of shots from Akui. It was a mistake on Teraji’s part to return to the ring for a title defense against a hungry, motivated Sandoval without proper rest.
Sandoval’s Relentless Pressure Wins
Teraji’s energy levels weren’t what they had been during his fight against Akui, and he was dealing with the same type of pressure throughout that fight, but against a better fighter than Sandoval.
The early morning start time for tonight’s Teraji vs. Sandoval made it difficult for U.S fans to watch. Many American fans didn’t get a chance to see the fight. Moreover, the promotion of the fight wasn’t there to create much interest to make casual boxing fans get up at 5 am to watch.