SPOTLIGHT ON GINJIRO SHIGEOKA- Targeting World Glory This Weekend At 2nd Time Of Asking!
Ginjiro Shigeoka finally gets the rematch he has been craving against Daniel Valladares for the Mexicans IBF Minimum Weight Belt.
The two initially met in January in a fight that resulted in a No Contest. Valladares was unable to continue after an accidental clash of heads in the 3rd round of the World Title Match but the two meet again this coming Friday. With World glory in his sights for the first time, Ginjiro Shigeoka is the focus of this weeks Spotlight!
Ginjiro Shigeoka, born on October 18, 1999, hails from Kumamoto, Japan. His journey in combat sports began at a young age with karate. However, at the age of 10, Shigeoka shifted his focus to boxing and joined the Honda Fitness Boxing Gym, leaving karate behind.
As an amateur, Shigeoka enjoyed a successful career, winning five national titles and accumulating an impressive record of 56-1 with 17 knockouts. Interestingly, his only defeat came in a unique circumstance against his older brother, Yudai Shigeoka. The brothers were slated to face each other in the final of a domestic tournament but decided not to fight. Ginjiro’s corner threw in the towel as the first round began, respecting their mutual agreement.
Shigeoka made his professional debut on September 25, 2018, against Sanchai Yotboon, winning the fight by a third-round technical knockout. His performance earned him the East Japan Boxing Association September MVP award. Since then, Shigeoka has showcased his skills in several notable bouts.
On February 26, 2019, Shigeoka faced Gerttipong Kumsahwat, whom he defeated with a first-round knockout in just over a minute and a half. He followed up with a unanimous decision victory against Joel Lino on April 14, 2019, extending his winning streak to three fights.
The opportunity to fight for the vacant World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Asia Pacific Minimumweight title came on July 27, 2019, when Shigeoka squared off against Clyde Azarcon. In a stunning display of his power, Shigeoka secured a first-round knockout, stopping Azarcon just after a minute into the bout.
In his first title defense on December 31, 2019, Shigeoka faced Rey Loreto on the undercard of the Kazuto Ioka and Jeyvier Cintrón WBO World Super Fly title match. Shigeoka emerged victorious with a fifth-round knockout.
After a 19-month hiatus, Shigeoka returned to defend his WBO Asia Pacific title against Toshiki Kawamitsu on July 14, 2021. The fight marked Shigeoka’s first main event and ended with a second-round technical knockout in his favour. Subsequently, Shigeoka vacated the WBO Asia Pacific Minimumweight title on August 4, 2021.
Continuing his journey as a Japanese champion, Shigeoka faced Tatsuro Nakashima on March 27, 2022, for the vacant Japanese Minimumweight title. He secured the victory with a unanimous decision, impressively outscoring Nakashima with scores of 99-91, 99-91, and 98-92. Shigeoka made his first title defence against Naoya Haruguchi on July 7, 2022, delivering a dominant performance and stopping Haruguchi with a flurry of punches in the fourth round.
Stepping up his game, Shigeoka set his sights on the IBF interim mini-flyweight title. His path led him to face Daniel Valladares on January 6, 2022, in a highly anticipated bout. Unfortunately, an accidental headbutt left Valladares unable to continue, resulting in a no-contest. Efforts were made to arrange a rematch for April of the same year, but due to the injury the fight was pushed back till this upcoming weekend.
Undeterred, Shigeoka’s team pursued another opportunity, leading him to face Rene Mark Cuarto for the interim championship. The bout was scheduled for April 16, 2023, and Shigeoka made the most of it. He knocked Cuarto down twice, once in the seventh and ninth rounds, eventually stopping him late in the ninth. The judges’ scorecards favoured Shigeoka with scores of 78-72, 78-72, and 76-74 at the time of the stoppage.
Shigeokas highly anticipated rematch with Daniel Valladares will be the main event of “3150FIGHT” at the EDION Arena Osaka, Japan this coming Friday.
By Lee Browne