Next month's scheduled nontitle fight between former three-time World Boxing Council bantamweight champion Joichiro Tatsuyoshi and Hugo Dianzo of Mexico in Osaka has been postponed at least until this fall, boxing officials said Wednesday.
The 10-round fight was originally scheduled to take place on July 6 at the Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium. Tatsuyoshi, 33, injured a left thigh muscle during recent training and his doctor said it will require at least one month to heal, according to the officials.
Tatsuyoshi's Osaka Teiken Gym wants to stage the bout at the earliest possible date, but it can be put off for a few months if his recovery is not smooth. The new date is expected to be announced next Monday.
Tatsuyoshi, arguably the most popular boxer in Japan, has a record of 18 wins, including 13 knockouts, against six losses and a draw, while the 28-year-old Dianzo, the WBC's 14th-ranked bantamweight, is 29-9-1 with 14 KOs.