Kenshiro Teraji vs. Hekkie Budler full card results: Teraji retains titles via TKO in hard-hitting fight
Since 2017, Kenshiro Teraji has dominated boxing’s light flyweight division. The 31-year-old continued his hold on the division by taking out Hekkie Budler to retain the WBC, WBA, and Ring belts in an exciting affair in the Ariake Arena.
Boxing fans in the U.S. woke up early Monday morning to watch a hard-hitting fight between Teraji and former champion Budler. Both fighters gave it their all, with the Japanese fans cheering Teraji on. In the end, Kyoto-born Teraji won via TKO in the ninth round.
Budler started the first round the aggressor, landing counter shots, but Teraji found his rhythm early, using the jab to his advantage. Teraji let loose in round two, thanks to blows to the body. Chopping shots to the head landed, but Budler helped his cause by not backing down. He snapped Teraji’s head back, and both swung away.
Things heated up in round three, as Teraji shot a rocket right hand as Budler landed several combination shots. The fighters appeared evenly matched early on.
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Budler landed a crisp shot to the face in round four and combinations that pushed Teraji back. However, “The Amazing Boy” used Budler’s body as target practice, landing shot after shot to the gut of the South African. On the inside, Teraji managed to land crisp counters. As hard as Budler tried to land impactful blows, Teraji countered with sharper blows throughout the contest. A headbutt bloodied Teraji above his eye in round five, and Budler tried taking advantage. Teraji didn’t let it bother him, landing seismic uppercuts to the body.
This fight is not a walk in the park ????
A ringside view of Kenshiro Teraji ???? Hekkie Budler ????
????: @trboxing | #TerajiBudlerpic.twitter.com/W4lh1MD4iN
— Sporting News Fights (@sn_fights) September 18, 2023
Teraji let his hands go in the sixth, with multiple rights landing. Budler would not falter, pressing forward and landing calculating combinations. Round eight was another fire fight situation, with Budler landing a right straight to the face of Teraji and the latter landing through his defense. Round nine saw Teraji’s body shots make an impact, backing Budler up for what appeared to be the first time. Budler looked hurt as Teraji landed a barrage of punches by the ropes.
Teraji continued his assault, and the referee had no choice but to call the fight. The champion has won four in a row since 2022. He is looking to face WBO champion Jonathan Gonzalez, who backed out of a planned bout against Teraji due to a case of pneumonia, to unify the division.
The ref said no more❗️
Another look at how this one came to an end ????
????: @trboxing | #TerajiBudlerpic.twitter.com/jrVuSTzZsX
— Sporting News Fights (@sn_fights) September 18, 2023
Budler, a former IBF and WBA light flyweight champion, had his three-fight win streak snapped.
In the special co-feature, Tenshin Nasukawa defeated Luis Guzman via unanimous decision. Nasukawa was the quicker fighter, landing various combinations to Guzman. He hit a left that dropped Guzman in round one. From there, he made the fight seem like a sparring session.
Nasukawa chopped Guzman down with lefts to the body through the bout, and though Guzman landed solid counters, the former would not back down. In the later rounds, Nasukawa landed several body blows, acting as a bully within range. It looked like he dropped Guzman towards the end of the fight, but the referee let it go.
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Winning his second pro boxing bout (80-70 scores across the board), Nasukawa looked like a much different person than when he fought Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition all those years ago.
The other title fight on the card featured Junto Nakatani successfully defending the WBO super flyweight title against Argi Cortes. After knocking out Andrew Moloney to win the belt, Nakatani went the distance in a twelve-round fight for the first time in his career. The 25-year-old’s jab was key in setting his opponent for long lefts, with one shot dropping Cortes in round five, the first of three knockdowns in favor of the champion.
Cortes took a left to the body in round nine, and while he attempted a comeback, Nakatani was too much for him to handle. The scorecards read 118-107, 119-106, and 119-106 in favor of Nakatani, previously champion at the flyweight level. Cortes had his two-fight win streak snapped.
To open the card, Anthony Olascuaga rebounded from his last fight, a loss against Teraji, with a TKO win against Giemel Magramo. Magramo seemed to have control of the bout in the early rounds until the seventh, when Olascuaga let his hands go. A right hand and a hook froze Magramo, and Olascuaga finished him following a flurry of shots that forced the fight to get called.
COMEBACK CITY ????️
Anthony Olascuaga snags the KO with milliseconds left in the round!#TerajiBudler | @ESPNPlus | @PrimeVideo in Japan pic.twitter.com/CwY5SHllIR
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) September 18, 2023
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The Sporting News provided full card results for the event. Check it out!
Kenshiro Teraji vs. Hekkie Budler full card results
- Kenshiro Teraji (c) def. Hekkie Budler via TKO to retain the WBA, WBC and Ring light flyweight titles (2:19 into round nine)
- Tenshin Nasukawa def. Luis Guzman via unanimous decision (80-70, 80-70, 80-70)
- Junto Nakatani (c) def. Argi Cortes via unanimous decision to retain the WBO super flyweight title (118-107, 119-106, 119-106)
- Anthony Olascuaga def. Giemel Magramo via TKO (2:57 into round seven)