Over the past 10 years, Japan has been a major boxing hotbed and that trend continues with unbeaten star Ginjiro Shigeoka challenging Daniel Valladares for the IBF minimumweight title at the Ota-City General Gymnasium on October 7.
The pair squared off in January in a bout that came to a premature end when champion Valladares was cut from an accidental clash of heads in Round 3. Subsequently, the bout was ruled a no-contest and a rematch would soon be ordered by the IBF.
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During the interim, Shigeoka (9-0, 7 KOs) returned to action and normal service was resumed. The 23-year-old blasted his way through former champ Rene Mark Cuarto in nine rounds, closing out the fight with a shuddering body shot knockout.
Valladares (27-3-1, 15 KOs) is a high-quality opponent and he’s got the resume to back up his status as a world titleholder. He displaced Cuarto as champion and was holding his own against Shigeoka before that bout was called off.
But despite Valladares’ undoubted class, Shigeoka has been installed as a prohibitive 1/7 favourite per BetOnSports at Bet365. Meanwhile, Valladares is 4/1 against to retain his championship on enemy territory, with the draw available at 25/1.
Ginjiro Shigeoka age, height, career record
Age: 23
Nationality: Japan
Stance: Southpaw
Height: 5′ 0″ / 153cm
Reach: 61½″ / 156cm
Residence: Tokyo, Japan
Birth place: Kumamoto, Japan
Career debut: 25/09/2018
Career titles: IBF Interim World Minimum
Record: 9-0 (7 KOs)
How good is Ginjiro Shigeoka?
The simple answer is very good.
Just nine fights into his professional career, Shigeoka is rated No. 4 by The Ring at 105 pounds. His skill level belies the amount of fights he’s had and his style looks perfect for the pro game. The Tokyo-based lefty is aggressive but defensively adept and he has excellent punch variety.
Shigeoka’s power is also a major asset as evidenced by a 78-percent knockout ratio.
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Who are the other boxing champions at minimumweight?
Knockout CP Freshmart
- Record: 24-0, 9 KOs
Knockout is the WBA champion and he’s rated No. 1 by Ring Magazine. The 33-year-old Thai fighter won his championship from Byron Rojas in 2016 and has made 11 consecutive defences. He has been inactive since July 2022.
Petchmanee CP Freshmart
- Record: 40-1, 24 KOS
Petchmanee is a stablemate, not a relative, of Knockout. The pair use the “CP Freshmart” gym as a ring moniker, which has been a tradition for several years. The Thai hero defeated the 54-0 Chayaphon Moonsri to become champion and has made four defences.
Shigeoka’s older brother, Yudai, is also a world-rated minimumweight. He will challenge Petchmanee for the WBC title on the Valladares vs. Shigeoka 2 undercard. The champion is a slight favourite to prevail.
Oscar Collazo
- Record: 8-0, 6 KOs
Collazo is the latest champion in this division. The 26-year-old from Newark, New Jersey, by way of Puerto Rico, halted Melvin Jerusalem to win the title in May. He’s made one successful defence, stopping Garen Diagan inside six rounds in August.
Southpaw Collazo was a decorated amateur and he’ll be a serious handful for anyone in this division.
There has never been a Ring Magazine champion or an undisputed champion in this division since it was first introduced by the four main sanctioning organisations in the late 1980s.