Toshiaki Nishioka: record, next fight and profile →
At the opening ceremony for this week’s WBC Convention at the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, highly-skilled junior featherweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka was spotted.
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum is planning to raise his original offer to WBC super bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24KOs), hoping the Japanese champion will face Nonito Donaire (27-1, 18KOs) in March 2012. Donaire, the WBC/WBO champion at bantamweight, is moving up in weight in early 2012. Arum made an offer to Nishioka in October, when the boxer decisioned Rafael Marquez in Las Vegas, but the Japanese star expressed his desire to stay out of the ring until May.
There’s been speculation that Nonito Donaire has had trouble making the 118-pound limit for his fight with Omar Narvaez on Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Donaire didn’t dispute this notion that it’s been a chore paring down his body to 118 pounds. When he started the weight-losing process nearly three months ago, he weighed 145 pounds, the result of an eight-month layoff from the ring that’s made it harder to get down to 118 pounds.
Former two division champion Rafael Marquez (40-7, 36KOs), who arrived to his favorite gym in Coyoacán, where his trainer Daniel Zaragoza holds courts, revealed that he made a formal request to Top Rank to secure a rematch with WBC super bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24KOs) of Japan.
It didn’t end up an action classic, nor will it be mentioned at 2011’s end as a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate. That’s really not a big deal. Every fight can’t be epic. Sometimes fans have to settle for what amount to a boxing pot luck, an occasion to watch two fighters brings a little bit of everything from their fistic kitchen, en route to producing a hearty result. A little bit of chess, a little bit of blood, a bold late stand…the only thing missing was a knockout casserole
On Saturday night I was able to take in my first live viewing of WBC super bantamweight champion Tishiaki Nishioka from Japan as he pulled out a unanimous decision victory over former champion Rafael Marquez in Las Vegas. Fighting inside of the Marquee Ballroom inside of the MGM Grand, Nishioka impressed with his deft movement, quickness, and a potent left hand that kept Marquez at bay for much of the fight.
MGM Grand, Las Vegas - A rowdy crowd of Mexican and Japanese fight fans saw Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24KOs) retain the WBC super bantamweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision over former two-division beltholder Rafael Marquez (40-7, 36KOs). The scores were 117-111, 116-112, 115-113.
Ryan Burton catches the post fight press conference to the WBC super bantamweight title fight, between champion Toshiaki Nishioka and challenger Rafael Marquez. Hear from both boxers, WBA junior flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez, Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum and more.
WBC super bantamweight champion Toshiaki Nishioka closed strong, outlanding former two division champ Rafael Marquez 89-42 in total punches over the last three rounds to win a unanimous twelve round decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
MGM GRAND-Las Vegas, NV Former two division world champion Rafael Marquez felt like he did enough on Saturday evening to add Toshiaki Nishioka's WBC super bantamweight title to his collection. The judges however saw things differently. The fighter of Japanese descent retained his title via unanimous decision. The scores were 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.