Shokichi Iwata (30), the WBC light flyweight champion and member of Teiken Gym, will appear on "Excite Match SP," which will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW from 9 PM on June 15th. On March 15th, Iwata challenged WBC light flyweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart (35) from Thailand at Yokohama BUNTAI (Naka Ward, Yokohama City), and won by TKO in the 8th round, reclaiming the title after a year. In the program, he will provide a "self-commentary" on this fight.
In October 2024, Iwata became the WBO champion in his second world title challenge. However, in March of last year, he lost by decision to Rene Santiago (34) of Puerto Rico, who was then ranked second in the division and a former WBO interim champion, losing the belt after only five months. Iwata recalled his feelings at the time, saying, "I was depressed after losing that fight. For a long time, I wondered whether I should continue boxing." This time, Iwata stepped into the ring with his back against the wall.
The reigning champion, Knockout, is a legendary Thai fighter who has defended his WBA world minimumweight title 16 times and won the WBC world light flyweight title in December of last year, achieving a two-division championship. Against this formidable opponent, Iwata fully demonstrated the results of his training, which he said was driven by a desire to "break out of his shell."
When the match began, Iwata displayed a boxing style completely different from before. He explained the change by saying, "I've been practicing my movement and speed, and making sure I never stop moving my feet. I also wanted to outpace my opponent and leave him behind." In his match against Santiago, Iwata stopped moving his feet in an attempt to land his signature powerful punches, and his opponent was able to evade him. Learning from that experience, he has thoroughly honed his ability to box while constantly moving.
Against the shorter Knockout fighter, Iwata kept moving and threw punches with agility. As he said, "I wanted to change things up with each round," he skillfully controlled the game, incorporating courageous exchanges of blows. In the third round, the Knockout fighter suffered an accidental headbutt that cut above his left eye, turning the fight into a bloodbath. As the Knockout fighter tried to close the distance and move forward, Iwata continued to land effective right hooks, even as he was covered in blood.
Then, in the eighth round, the fight ended due to an injury to the knockout fighter. The initial decision was a 3-0 unanimous decision victory for Iwata, but after a video review, it was determined that the injury to the knockout fighter was caused by a valid punch, and the record was changed to a TKO victory.
Iwata, who left the veteran champion far behind with his new style, said with a look of satisfaction after his victory, "I'm really happy. There were tough times over the past year, but I'm glad I didn't quit." The biggest reward for him was that the new style he had been working on in practice had finally paid off.
According to Iwata himself, his next fight is likely to be his first title defense against mandatory challenger Erik Badillo (30) of Mexico, who is undefeated in 19 fights (8 KOs). Looking ahead to his next fight, Iwata said, "He's a strong opponent, but I want to win no matter what," and also spoke of his dream, saying, "If I can improve the precision of the boxing I'm doing now, I'm confident that I can reach (unification of all four titles)."
*...WOWOW will broadcast and stream "Exciting Match SP 'Olascuaga vs. Iimura Jukiya' and 'CP Freshmart vs. Iwata Shokichi'" on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from 9pm on June 15th. The program will also broadcast and stream the fifth title defense match between WBO World Flyweight Champion Anthony Olascuaga and Iimura Jukiya.
