IBF super bantamweight champion Yukinori Oguni will make his first title defense against third-ranked Ryosuke Iwasa on Sept. 13, his Kadoebi Houseki Boxing Gym said Thursday.
Oguni, 29, described Iwasa as an "opponent I least want to fight," telling a news conference that he expects the match at Edion Arena Osaka to be "difficult" but wants to "win confidently."
The two fought as amateurs when they were in high school, and Oguni suffered a crushing defeat to Iwasa.
The 27-year-old Iwasa, getting his second world title fight, said he will "stake my life to beat Oguni-san."
Oguni snatched the title last December, defeating previously unbeaten Jonathan Guzman of the Dominican Republic. Iwasa was designated by the IBF as a mandatory challenger to the champion earlier that month.
Oguni has a 19-1-1 record (seven knockouts).
Iwasa is 23-2 (15 KOs).