MASAMICHI YABUKI is set to face mandatory challenger Felix Alvarado in the not-too-distant future, with the IBF scheduling a purse bid hearing for next month.
Both flyweight operators carry serious power, suggesting that their likely encounter can only deliver fireworks, yet Yabuki, 18-4 (17 KOs), has established himself as a particularly monstrous puncher.
The two-division world champion claimed a career-best victory over Kenshiro Teraji back in 2021, only to then lose his WBC title in their immediate rematch.
But while the optics of his third-round stoppage defeat certainly painted a disastrous picture, Yabuki nonetheless reignited his ruthless surge soon after.
It was a particularly punishing performance against Sivenathi Nontshinga, in fact, that saw the Japanese knockout artist claim his IBF strap at 108lbs last year.
But then, with an appetite for two-weight championship status, the 33-year-old jumped up 4lbs to face, and ultimately dethrone, then-IBF titlist Angel Ayala with a clinical 12th-round finish in March.
It just so happens that, in 2023, Ayala had outpointed Alvarado, 42-4 (34 KOs), a former world champion himself, with a highly controversial victory on Mexican soil.
Regardless of that, though, Alvarado’s otherwise glittering resume, albeit excluding a rather one-sided points defeat to Sunny Edwards in 2022, has earned him the opportunity to become a two-division world champion.
More specifically, the 36-year-old edged a majority decision against Tobias Reyes in a final elimination bout towards the end of last year, with his mandatory status having since been recognised by the IBF.
The sanctioning body has also informed Boxing News that a purse bid hearing for his fight against Yabuki, who is expected to enter their clash as a heavy favourite, is confirmed for September 9.
