Japan boxer, former three-division world champion, trains in Cebu

Kiyoshi Hatanaka (from left), Reymart Tagacanao, Kosei Tanaka, and Edito Villamor. | Photo from Edito Villamor

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Former three-division world champion Kosei Tanaka returned to Cebu for some top-notch boxing training. 

The 28-year-old Japanese is the former World Boxing Organization (WBO) world minimum, world flyweight, and former world light flyweight champion.

He will spend three weeks in Cebu at the ZIP Sanman Boxing gym in Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe. 

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Japan boxer trains in Zip Sanman Boxing Gym

According to ZIP Sanman Boxing Team’s chief trainer, Michael Domingo, Tanaka arrived last week and went straight into sparring sessions.

Tanaka sparred with Cebuano prospect Reymart Tagacanao of the Villamor Boxing Gym and Domingo’s prospect Alex Santisima. 

Tanaka guns for his fourth weight division world title by taking on Mexican Christian Bacasegua Rangel. They will fight for the vacant WBO world super flyweight title in Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan, on February 24, 2024. 

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Japan boxer Tanaka training camp in Cebu

Tanaka is accompanied by his trainer and manager, Kiyoshi Hatanaka, a former WBC world super bantamweight champion, in his three-week training camp in Cebu. 

Tanaka isn’t new to training in Cebu. In fact, he was here last summer at the Omega Boxing Gym to train for his tuneup bout against Pablo Carrillo. 

Tanaka has a record of 19 wins with 11 knockouts and one defeat, while Rangel has a 22-4-2 (win-loss-draw) record with nine knockouts. 

Photo caption: (from left to right) Kiyoshi Hatanaka, Reymart Tagacanao, Kosei Tanaka, and Edito Villamor. | Photo from Edito Villamor.