Former WBA super flyweight champion Kohei Kono is eager to get back in the ring to reclaim his title, he said Wednesday.
The 33-year-old Kono, ranked second in the division by the WBA, lost his first title defense by decision last May. On March 26, he will take on the No. 1 contender, Denkaosen Kaovichit of Thailand, at Tokyo's Korakuen Hall for the crown, which is currently vacant. Denkaosen is the former WBA flyweight champion.
"I had been thinking I would retire if I lost that fight," Kono said. "But I couldn't just quit in the unsatisfactory way I lost. I'm really pleased to get another chance."
The WBA crown was vacated when former champion Liborio Solis failed to make the weight for his unification bout against IBF champion Daiki Kameda but won the fight.