Oscar Blanquet’s Japan Campaign Brought Yaegashi
Oscar Blanquet challenged Akira Yaegashi for the WBC flyweight championship in Tokyo on August 12, 2013. Yaegashi retained the belt by unanimous decision after twelve rounds.
The Yaegashi title challenge
Blanquet used his reach to contest the early rounds, but Yaegashi’s body attack became more effective as the bout developed. The champion lost a point for a low blow in round eight, then knocked Blanquet down with a straight right near the end of the round.
The judges scored the contest 116–110 twice and 115–111 for Yaegashi. Blanquet completed the championship distance but left Tokyo without the belt.
The González contest
Blanquet returned to Japan to face Román “Chocolatito” González on November 10, 2013. González knocked him down in the opening round and forced a referee’s stoppage in the second.
The result completed a demanding pair of Japanese assignments within three months: a full-distance world-title challenge and a stoppage defeat against a former two-division champion campaigning at flyweight.
The early scorecards reflected Blanquet’s competitiveness: after four rounds, one judge favored each boxer while the third had them level. Yaegashi’s later body work shifted that balance. Blanquet continued pursuing him with wider punches, but the champion countered effectively. The defeat left Blanquet with thirty-two wins, six losses and one draw, including twenty-three knockout victories.
Sources
- AFP / Arab News: Yaegashi–Blanquet championship report
- La Prensa: González stops Blanquet in Tokyo
- BoxingScene: González–Blanquet result and flyweight context
