The EDION Arena in Osaka Japan hosts world title action this Friday as WBC world bantamweight champion Shinsuke Yamanaka (25-0-2) faces Anselmo “Chemito” Moreno (36-4) in his 11th title defense, The bout is a rematch, and the fight is set to air on television in Panama, where Anselmo is from. The card, which is promoted by Akihiko Honda nd his Teiken Promotions, aslo features WBC world super bantamweight title action as Hugo Ruiz (36-3) takes on veteran Hozumi Hasegawa (35-5). Yamanaka enters the fight a -210 favorite to retain his belt, with Anselmo returning at +175. With the fall of long time featherweight kingpin Takashi Uchiyama last April to Jezreel Corrales, Yamanaka is now the most senior champion on the Japanese scene. At 33 years old, hehas held the belt for what will be five years in November. Anselmo is a veteran former champion in his own right, but he has a lot of tread on his tires. At 31 years old, he is only younger than Yamanaka calendar wise. He also has the experience of the first fight where he feels he won. Yamanaka won a fight since the two first met, going the distance against Liborio Solis. Yamanaka has gone the distance 3 out of his last 4 fights so the KO’s are not coming like they used to for the Japanese star. Anselmo has been fighting at the top of the game for a long time, and after the September loss to Yamanaka he fought Suriyan Kaikanha (46-6-1) for the vacant WBC Silver title to help secure the rematch. With just 12 stopapges over his long career, Moreno has to go in there and outbox Yamanaka for twelve rounds and hope at least two judges see it his way this time around. Hasegawa is looking to regain old glory here, as the former two weight class world champion. He was once the man on the Japanese scene, but he has not been a world title holder for more than 5 years and at 35 years old, he is certainly a lot closer to done than he is to being “life of the party” and the lines show it. Hasegawa is a +600 underdog, with Ruiz returniing -900 as the favorite. Ruiz held and interim WBA belt for a long time and lost the chance at the ‘full” title in Tokyo back in Decembe rof 2014 when he lost a split decision to Koki Kameda. Ruiz understands more about the trip to Japan, and this time he is not looking to go home with a belt, he is looking to retain one.
