Yoshiki Takei vs Yuttapong Tongdee, Eduardo Nunez vs Masanori Rikiishi set for May 28th
Yoshiki Takei will return to action on May 28th in Yokohama alongside a vacant super featherweight title bout pitting Eduardo Nunez against Masanori Rikiishi
After withdrawing from their initial January 24th date with a cartilage tear in his right shoulder, WBO bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei is once again set to defend his title against Yuttapong Tongdee, this time on May 28th in Yokohama.
Takei (10-0, 8 KOs) is coming off a terrific scrap with Daigo Higa and, despite the end of his knockout streak, remains among the more eminently watchable fighters in the sport. Thailand’s Tongdee (15-0, 9 KOs) was a strong amateur, notably beating Robeisy Ramirez in 2017, but will be taking his first real test in hostile territory.
A potentially electric co-feature pits super featherweight knockout artist Eduardo Nunez (27-1, 27 KOs) against Masanori Rikiishi (16-1, 11 KOs) for the vacant IBF super featherweight belt. Nunez spent a year waiting for the title shot he earned by stopping Shavkat Rakhimov in Russia, only for Anthony Cacace to sidestep him in favor of Josh Warrington before ditching the belt entirely. Rikiishi, meanwhile, pulled off a last-minute comeback in his own eliminator against Michael Magnesi to claim a spot in the queue.
Organizers have yet to announce a Stateside broadcast partner, but odds are this will land on ESPN+ alongside many of Takei’s prior bouts.
