Inoue to Defend WBA Bantamweight Title

Takuma Inoue is set to defend his WBA bantamweight title on November 15, taking on former titleholder Jerwin Ancajas at Ry?goku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. The fight will be aired live in the United States on ESPN+ in the early morning hours.

Inoue, with a record of 18-0 and 4 knockouts, hailing from Yokohama, Japan, secured one of the 118-pound title belts that his older brother, Naoya Inoue, vacated in April when he won a unanimous decision against Liborio Solis. Inoue, currently ranked as the 9th best bantamweight by The Ring, has been on a five-fight winning streak since his sole defeat, a unanimous decision loss in 2019 to Nordine Oubaali during his first shot at a world title.

Jerwin Ancajas, with a record of 34-3-2 and 23 KOs, from Panabo City, Philippines, held the IBF junior bantamweight title from 2016 until last year when he suffered consecutive losses to Fernando Martinez. Now competing in a higher weight class, Ancajas made a successful return to the ring in June by stopping Wilner Soto in five rounds.