THREE-DIVISION world champion Kosei Tanaka is in Cebu to spend part of his training camp for an upcoming fight.
Tanaka has been training with promising prospect Esneth Domingo at the newly opened Zip Boxing Fitness and Wellness Center at the Sundance Residences in Banawa, Cebu City.
According to Domingo, Tanaka will spend three weeks of his training camp here in Cebu.
The 27-year-old Tanaka has already logged five rounds of sparring with Domingo. He also visited the Omega Boxing Gym and sparred with world ranked light flyweight Christian Araneta, who’s preparing for a 10-rounder with experienced Thai Jakrawut Majungoen on April 1, 2023 at the Hoopsdome in Lapu-Lapu City.
Omega Boxing Gym head coach Jinggoy Junco was impressed by Tanaka’s skills in his four-round sparring session with Araneta.
“Kosei is very good,” Junco told SunStar Cebu. “He’s indeed world class.”
Tanaka’s fight hasn’t been announced and he still has no opponent or date for his upcoming bout.
Tanaka has won world titles in the minimumweight, light flyweight and flyweight divisions. He captured the World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimumweight belt in just his fourth pro bout with a unanimous decision over Julian Yedras in Japan in 2015.
After just one successful title defense, Tanaka moved up in weight and fought the late Moises Fuentes for the vacant WBO light flyweight belt in 2016 in Japan. He beat Fuentes via a fifth round technical knockout. Tanaka won two title defenses before moving up again in weight in 2018.
Tanaka challenged then WBO flyweight champion Sho Kimura and defeated him by majority decision to win his third division world title. He had three successful title defenses before moving again up in weight in 2020.
Tanaka challenged WBO super flyweight titleholder Kazuto Ioka in Japan and suffered his first career defeat following an eighth round technical knockout.
Tanaka is building himself back up for another world title run. He won his last three fights, beating Sho Ishida, Masayoshi Hashizume and Yanga Sigqibo.
Tanaka, 18-1 with 10 knockouts, is currently ranked No. 3 by the WBO, International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Council (WBC), and No. 4 by the World Boxing Association (WBA).
Mexican star Juan Francisco Estrada currently holds the WBC and WBA Super titles, Joshua Franco is WBA regular titleholder and Fernando Martinez holds the IBF belt. The WBO super flyweight title is currently vacant after Ioka relinquished his belt.