A stateside tour—or at least a visit—could be in Kenshiro Teraji’s future.
The two-time and reigning lineal, WBC and WBA junior flyweight champion has thus far spent his entire ten-year pro career at home in Japan. That tradition continues on Tuesday, when he defends his crown versus WBA mandatory challenger and former secondary titlist Carlos Canizales (26-1-1, 19KOs) at EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan. Their Amazon Prime-Japan/ESPN+ main event will mark his seventh consecutive headliner at home.
With a win on Tuesday, a trip abroad is not out of the question.
“I would love to fight in the U.S. one day,” Teraji told BoxingScene.com. “It is a dream of mine and I hope to get that call.”
For now, Teraji (22-1, 14KOs) is celebrated as a sizable draw in Japan. He enters his fifteenth consecutive title fight spanning two reigns and has emerged as a cult favorite in the sport. His status soared to new heights after a stunningly one-sided, eighth-round knockout of countryman Hiroto Kyoguchi (18-1, 12KOs) in their November 2022 unification bout in Saitama, Japan. The bout aired on ESPN+ in the U.S., which has picked up seven of his last ten fights including Tuesday when he attempts the fourth defense of his second junior flyweight title reign.
The additional exposure has brought great familiarity to a boxer for whom stateside fans could only previously access through obscure (and not always legal) streams at pre-dawn hours. The belief is that his all-action fighting style would make for a natural fight on U.S. soil.
“I look forward to when that day arrives,” noted Teraji. “For now, I am focused on this fight and pleasing my fans. But who knows, maybe one day I will have the opportunity to make new fans in the USA.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox