Anthony Olascuaga steps in for Jonathan Gonzalez, fights Kenshiro Teraji on April 8th

Kenshiro Teraji may not get the opportunity to further unify the light flyweight titles on April 8th after Jonathan Gonzalez came down with pneumonia, but he’s still in for a stiff challenge, as Yahoo! Japan and other outlets report that WBA no. 2 flyweight Anthony Olascuaga has answered the call on less than two weeks’ notice.

The 24-year-old Olascuaga (5-0, 3 KO), who participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic trials and notably upset Michael Angeletti, has enjoyed a fairly aggressive push in his brief career. He’s reportedly training with Junto Nakatani in Japan, allowing him to take this potentially career-igniting opportunity.

It’s a hell of a tall task, though. Teraji (20-1, 12 KO) was a terror during his first, lengthy reign as WBC champion, but has been on fire since a shock upset loss to Masamichi Yabuki. If Olascuaga wants to be 2023’s “Bam” Rodriguez, he’s going to have to earn it.

Other fights on the show include Takuma Inoue vs Liborio Solis, Kiko Martinez vs Reiya Abe, and kickboxing great Tenshin Nasukawa’s pro boxing debut.