Last December, Kal Yafai became Birmingham?s first ever world champion when he beat Luis Concepcion to claim the WBA super-flyweight title.
Tonight, at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, Yafai will be looking to make a successful first defence of that title when he takes on the Japanese fighter Suguru Muranaka.
However, Yafai has plans to unify the division after making a successful defence tonight, remarking to the media,
‘Unification bouts are very much part of my plan, and sooner rather than later.
‘Whatever my team puts in front of me, that’s what I’ll take. I’ve got the best team in the business around me who advise me what to do and when to do it, so I listen to them first and foremost.
‘But I like to take it all one fight at a time. I’ve got to concentrate on this fight and then we’ll go from there and see what is next.’
The other super-flyweight belts are held by:
? WBO belt – Naoya Inoue (Japan)
? IBF belt ? Jerwin Ancajas (Philipines)
? WBC belt ? Wisaksil Wangek (Thailand)
Three formidable opponents for Yafai to consider.
Talking about the trio to the media, Yafai further remarked,
‘Ancajas could be the likeliest of unifications, but it depends on when they are available.
‘I’d love to fight Gonzalez. Obviously he’s the name in the division. In the rematch, which seems to be on the cards, I think he’ll beat Wangek convincingly.
‘If I had to hold out and have another defence or two before fighting Gonzalez, then I’d do that.’
Interesting times ahead for an interesting champion.
Yafai Looking to Unify the Division
