By Jake Donovan
For the first time since winning the junior flyweight crown, Pedro Guevara heads back to Japan.
The reigning champion departed Thursday evening for a 22-hour trek from his native Mexico to the Far East. By late Friday evening, Guevara will arrive in Sendai – more than four hours north of Tokyo – one week ahead of his November 28 showdown with unheralded fringe contender Yu Kimura.
“I’m facing an opponent whom I know little about, but his record tells me all I need to know,” Guevara (26-1-1, 17KOs) said of Kimura, the third challenger of his junior flyweight title reign. “He is a (regional) champion in Japan and a top-rated challenger. I don’t dismiss his credentials, I truly respect my opponent.
“At the same time, don’t mistake my respect for fear. I’m confident that – just as arrive as champion – the belt will remain with me when I return to Mexico.”
Also on the show, Carlos Cuadras – Guevara’s countryman who has fought several times in Japan – defends his super flyweight title versus former bantamweight contender Koki Eto.
Guevara claimed the belt with a 7th round stoppage of Akira Yaegashi last December in Tokyo, coming up huge on the road in his second career attempt at a major title. His first opportunity actually took place at home, dropping a 12-round decision to then-champ John Riel Casimero in Aug. ’12.
Eight straight wins have followed, including his career-defining victory over Yaegashi, which also served as his first pro fight outside of Mexico. Less than a year later, he returns to the land that crowned him champ after two successful defenses in his hometown of Mazatlan, Mexico.
“I’m very optimistic of traveling to Japan and defend the championship,” Guevara notes. “I want to confirm that I am a true champion here in Japan, and not that my win (over Yaegashi) was a fluke.”
The bout will be his last of 2015 but believes plenty of work still remains at junior flyweight.
“I'm going with everything to win and continue to make history in the light flyweight division,” Guevara insists. “I want to unify my title against the great champions in the other (sanctioning bodies) and then make the leap to flyweight.”
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
