The highly anticipated rematch between IBF strawweight champion Daniel Valladares (26-3-1, 15 KOs) and rising star Ginjiro Shigeoka (9-0, 7 KOs) is set to take place at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.
The event initially was set to be on August 11, but has been rescheduled for October 7, after an unfortunate leg injury of Shigeoka. The two fighters first clashed on January 6, but a head-clash in the third round left Valladares unable to continue, resulting in a no-contest.
Valladares, rated No. 7 by The Ring at 105 pounds, has had an impressive career so far. After a minor setback against journeyman Genaro Rios, Valladares bounced back with remarkable wins over former WBO strawweight titlist Merlito Sabillo and previously unbeaten Christian Araneta. The 28-year-old Mexican fighter claimed the IBF title after edging past Rene Mark Cuarto in a split decision. On the other hand, Shigeoka, rated No. 5 by The Ring, has been a sensation since turning pro in September 2018. The 23-year-old southpaw has only one loss in his amateur career, which came against his elder brother, Yudai, in a unique family agreement. Shigeoka’s career has been on an upward trajectory, notably stopping former world title challenger Rey Loreto. The pandemic may have slowed his momentum, but he's ready to prove himself once again.
Also in the card, world no.1 in minimumweight division Panya Pradabsri (39-1, 22 KOs) squares off against Yudai Shigeoka (7-0, 5 KOs).
In November 2020, Pradabsri captured the WBC strawweight championship by defeating the long-standing titleholder Wanheng “TBE” Menayothin in a points decision. The 32-year-old Bangkok native then bested Menayothin again in a rematch on March 29 and subsequently secured two victories over Norihito Tanaka of Japan. On August 31, he outscored Tanaka in a 12-round match in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, and followed it up with an eighth-round knockout in a June 28 rematch, essentially to shake off some ring rust.
Pradabsri’s only career loss came during an away fight in October 2017, where he lost to former WBC champion Chaozhong Xiong by majority decision in Datong, China.
Fight card:
▪️Daniel Valladares vs. Ginjiro Shigeoka, 12 rounds, for Valladares IBF strawweight title ▪️Panya Pradabsri vs. Yudai Shigeoka, 12 rounds, for Pradabsri’s WBC strawweight title ▪️Rene Calixto vs. Ryo Mandokoro, 8 rounds, super flyweight ▪️Kyotaro Yoshida vs. Sho Nogami, 8 rounds, super flyweight ▪️Anantachai Duanhai vs. TBA, 8 rounds, super flyweight
