AFTER reigning supreme at light-flyweight for almost seven years, Kenshiro Teraji was seeking to establish his dominance at flyweight, but today his reign came to an early end, as Ricardo Rafael Sandoval secured a surprise split-decision win.
Teraji, 26-1 (16 KOs), won the WBC light-flyweight crown in just his 10th professional fight and today marked his 18th consecutive world title bout in the years that have followed.
However, recent battles of attrition against both Carlos Canizales and Seigo Yuri Akui, the latter being just four months ago, led to a belief that this quick turnaround to take on Ricardo Rafael Sandoval, 26-2 (18 KOs), could prove costly.
Prior to today, each of Teraji’s last five stoppage wins have come in the second half of contests, with ‘The Amazing Boy’ showing time and time again that he excels down the stretch and has the ability to find an extra gear when required to dig deep. Although, it was unclear if the 33-year-old still had a similar showing in the tank.
In a less physically demanding opening than his recent outings, Teraji kept busy with a speedy jab, whilst Sandoval repeatedly attempted to land with a stronger jab and then a straight right-hand behind it.
However, it was Teraji who landed the first concussive shot and subsequent knockdown, as a precise yet powerful straight-right of his own sent ‘El Nino’ flying into the corner and sat upon the canvas at the end of the fifth.
Still, the game Sandoval continued to press onwards and landed hard blows that saw Teraji’s head regularly spring backwards, but it was the accuracy and shot selection, gained through superior experience, that meant Teraji was winning rounds.
Nevertheless, Teraji’s inability to steer clear on the cards during the latter stages became clear and proved pivotal, as Sandoval grew into the fight and scored with well-timed, eye-catching power shots.
Consequently, heading into the final round, it seemed as though it was all to play for and that the scores could even be level.
As a result, Teraji heroically pursued Sandoval and forced the pace, as the battle descended into a chaotic finale, typical of Teraji’s most recent outings, as the home fighter searched for a back-to-back final-round stoppage.
Yet, such drama would not unfold, at least until the scorecards were announced, as Sandoval’s efforts were stunningly recognised and rewarded with a shock split-decision victory (114-112, 113-114, 117-110).
Defeat to Sandoval marks a first for Teraji since he was halted by Masamichi Yabuki back in 2021. It took Teraji just five months to avenge that loss and now it remains to be seen whether the ageing superstar still has what it takes to bounce back and potentially overcome Sandoval, if they decide to meet again.
