After making his seventh consecutive defense of the WBA light flyweight title on the Kyokugen annual New Year's Eve bash - taking a unanimous decision over Filipino grinder & fellow titlist Milan "Metodico" Melindo in a unification bout with the latter's IBF title at stake and the Ring Magazine belt in the kitty for good measure - Taguchi has been elevated to WBA Super champion. This content is protected This is the culmination of eighteen years in the ring - ⅗ of his life so far! Taguchi has boxed since high school, and turned heads wherever he laced up gloves, ultimately earning himself a spot in the Watanabe stable after climbing up the domestic ladder the hard way for more than half a decade following his pro debut. Now at the 31 years of age, with the same # of bouts on his ledger, Taguchi has only a small handful of blemishes - an early-career razor-thin points loss, and two draws. The first was in his initial bid for the Japanese light flyweight title, which he captured with an upset of 13-0 Yuki Chinen only to hot-potato the prize in his fourth "blemish", a UD loss to phenom Naoya Inoue, in what probably stands as the hardest Inoue has ever had to work professionally in a prize ring to date. Taguchi was the first man to stretch Inoue the distance, and this feat has only been repeated once (by David Carmona, who proved less competitive with the Monster than had Taguchi). Hell, at this point, in light of his momentum and the announcement of Kazuto Ioka's retirement just a few hours after Taguchi vs. Melindo, he might well be the clear-cut p4p #2 in Japan behind his old rival - and IMO remains Inoue's best victory yet, aging incredibly well. Contests of further unification with countrymen - and WBC & WBO titlists, respectively - Ken Shiro and/or Kosei Tanaka might loom on the horizon, and that would likely erase all doubt as to whom stands tall as the Monster's nearest competition. Banzai, Ryoichi!! This content is protected
Shame, because unifying all four major org belts (defeating two highly regarded & undefeated compatriots along the way) and being Ring champ to boot, that all could mount a solid argument to place him as high as top 5 all time at 108lbs - and that's quite a mouthful considering the company that would put him in (and hell, the names it would see him nosing past).
How about moving up to chase an Inoue rematch? Probably guaranteed another L, but also just as likely bigger than any other payday he'll ever get.
Love Taguchi, he's one of my favorite Japanese fan, been a fan since the Inoue match. As far as Shiro and Tanaka go, it wouldn't shock me in the least if he beat either of them, but I have a feeling he won't get the benefit of the doubt on the scorecards in Japan if he fights Tanaka, who's clearly going to be the favored fighter in the equation. Shiro is good, but beatable. Ryoichi Taguchi: The Light Flyweight Tokyo Buzzsaw-The Man With The Adamantium Chin.
Tanaka is no longer in the light flyweight division and he will try to fight Sho Kimura for his belt.
Pretty wild to think Inoue was a 20 year old in his 4th pro fight when he took on Taguchi, who'd become champ a little over a year following the bout.
