Photos by Sumio Yamada.
IBF superbantam world title holder Ryosukie Iwasa of Japan and his Filipino challenger Ernesto Saulong came face to face during Tuesday's presscon in Tokyo ahead of their world championship fight on Thursday, March 1, at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
Iwasa (24-2-0, 16KOs) wrested the IBF belt from his compatriot Yukinori Oguni last September and he will be making the first defense of the title against Saulong (21-2-1, 8KOs), the IBF superbantam No. 13 ranked contender.
Saulong has been training at Joven Jiminez's Survival Gym in Cavite City the last two months in preparation for the Iwasa fight. Jiminez, the trainer/manager of IBF super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas, will be on Saulong's corner on Thursday.
Ryosuke Iwasa speaks during Tuesday's presscon.
Filipino challenger Ernesto Saulong.
L-R: Shinsuke Yamanaka, Luis Nery, Ryosuke Iwasa and Ernesto Saluong.
Co-headlining the March 1 event is the rematch between WBC world bantamweight champion Luis Nery of Mexico and popular Japanese fighter Shinsuke Yamanaka. Nery knocked out Yamanaka in the 4th round during their first meeting on Aug. 15, 2107 to wrest the belt from the long-time WBC bantamweight champion who held the green and gold scrap since 2011.
In the first defense of his title, the undefeated Nery stopped Filipino Arthur Villanueva in the 6th round on Nov. 4, 2107 in Tijuana, Mexico.
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