By Jake Donovan

With Naoya Inoue moving up two weight classes to challenge for Omar Narvaez’ super flyweight title, comes a vacancy in the junior flyweight division. The mere announcement of a belt up for grabs was enough for former two-division champ Akira Yaegashi to move down in weight, and for contender Pedro Guevara to travel halfway around the world during the holiday season. 


It’s a shame that Yaegashi (20-4, 10KOs) has never been blessed with the opportunity to even occasionally appear on U.S. airwaves, or compete at a higher weight class. If so, it’s possible he’d be the most celebrated action hero in the sport today. A former strawweight titlist and World flyweight king, the 31-year old has been through the trenches in more than nine years as a pro.

His name first resonated with the boxing industry after landing on the favorable end of perhaps the greatest fight in strawweight history, going to war with Thailand’s Pornsawan Porpramook in Oct. ’11. The bout went on to land as 2011 Fight of the Year, with Yaegashi prevailing by 10th round knockout to ignite his strawweight reign.

The run was short-lived, but long enough to make history in his native Japan eight months later. Yaegashi met then-unbeaten Kazuto Ioka in a June ’12 strawweight unification bout, marking the first time ever that two reigning titlists from Japan faced each other in the ring. The occasion was as memorable as it was historic, as the two beat the hell out of each other for 12 rounds, with Ioka barely squeaking by in what would be the last strawweight fight for either fighter.

Less than year later, Yaegashi – moving up two divisions to flyweight – once again had a title around his waist, dethroning World lineal flyweight champion Toshiyuki Igarashi in April ’12. Three defenses followed before running into the lethal fists of Roman Gonzalez, succumbing by 9th round knockout this past September to bring his reign to an end after 17 months.

Guevara (23-1-1, 15KOs) is still searching for his big break, as the 25-year old remains unproven at the top level. Perhaps it’s why he agreed to forego Christmas and New Year’s celebrations this year, traveling outside of Mexico for the first time in his career as he takes a second swing at his first title.

The lone other attempt came two years ago, when Guevara dropped a 12-round split decision to then 108 lb. titlist John Riel Casimero in Mexico. A late rally by the local favorite wasn’t enough to atone for the early deficit he endured, including an opening round knockdown to ultimately proved to be the difference on the deciding card between his lone loss and remaining an unbeaten fighter, albeit with a draw and still no title.

Five wins have followed, including decisions over former titlists Raul Garcia and Mario Rodriguez.

Read on to see how the staff at BoxingScene.com believes Tuesday's junior flyweight action goes down. 

BOXINGSCENE.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS: AKIRA YAEGASHI vs. PEDRO GUEVARA

Jake Donovan (Guevara Dec.): “Too many wars – including the still-fresh beating at the hands of Chocolatito just three months ago – will begin to show the wear and tear on Yaegashi. This fight will prove whether Guevara belongs at the top level, or if he’s just another pretender. The guess here is on the former, with the visiting challenger breaking down Yaegashi and scoring a close but clear decision on the road.”

John A. MacDonald (Guevara Dec.): “Akira Yaegashi drops down to 108 lbs to challenge for the vacant WBA title having lost his WBC flyweight strap to the excellent Roman Gonzalez in September. The sustained beating inflicted by Gonzalez combined with a hard unification fight against Kazuto Ioka and a war with Pornsawan Porpramook at minimumweight leave questions over what Yaegashi has left. Pedro Guevara almost became a World champion in 2012 when he dropped a split decision to John Riel Casimero. The 25-year-old has since gained good wins over two former minimumweight champions in Raul Garcia and Mario Rodriguez. The Mexican's height and reach advantages, allied with having less miles on the clock should be enough to see him eke out a decision win.”

Cliff Rold (Guevara Dec.): “Guevara is younger, hungry, and has less wear. Yaegashi is only months from being stopped for the first time in a physical affair with Roman Gonzalez. I like Guevara, the taller man with longer arms, to outwork Yaegashi in what could become a war.”

Reynaldo Sanchez (Yaegashi TKO8): “Against Roman Gonzalez, Yaegashi threw his best shots but fell to a great champ. Yaegashi is still a great (fighter), and will prove it once again.”

Alexey Sukachev (Yaegashi Dec.): “It would have been easier to pick a winner, had it taken its place in Mexico. Guevara is clearly on a roll and looks fresh and good with a streak of recent wins over a handful of crafty contenders and former champions. On the other hand, Yaegashi, not Guevara, is a two-time champion. The Q mark was raised by Roman Gonzalez - will the Japanese be the same following a dreadful beating in September. That remains to be seen. But Yaegashi is a warrior, so he will probably make a stand to the final, where his home court advantage will be on a display - a narrow UD for him.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox