WBC Light Flyweight Champion Ken Shiro, The Amazing Boy of Japan
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
He is undefeated, and consider to be the best fighter in the world in his weight class. World Boxing Council World Light Flyweight champion Ken Shiro (Kenshiro Tiraki), nicknamed ‘The Amazing Boy’, age 27, of Uji Kyoto, Japan is currently 17-0 with 10 knockouts. Twelve of these bouts were for Japanese, OPBF, WBC Youth or WBC World titles. Shiro, son of 20-1-3 former OPBF Light Heavyweight champion Hisashi Tiraji, is well on his way, as Japan’s best current boxer, currently ranked number one worldwide on BoxRec.
On December 23, 2019, at Arena in Yokohama, Japan, Shiro steamrolled over challenger Randy Petalcorin, 31-4-1 with 23 knockouts, General Santos City, Philippines, a former WBA World Light Flyweight champion, with a fourth-round stoppage, the sixth defense of Shiro’s WBC world title. Petalcorin was a late replacement for International Boxing Federation World Light Flyweight champion Felix Alvarado, 35-2 with 30 knockouts, of Nicaragua in what was supposed to be a WBC-IBF unification bout. Petalcorin, whose other titular loss was to Alvarado by stoppage in 2018, had one month to prepare for Shiro. It was not enough.
Shiro was beastly with body blows, decking Petalcorin three times in the third round. The three knockdowns rule was not in effect in Japan, and Petalcorin came out for the fourth round. Another body blow by Shiro sent Petacorin to the canvas on his back for good at 1:08 of the fourth round. Petalcorin, who was down three times in the seventh round against Alvarado, was outboxed and outclassed by the more prepared world champion Shiro in more rapid fashion. Hall of Fame neutral referee Frank Garza, traveling from Michigan, needed less than 14 minutes to end the contest. Petalcorin, having loss the third round 10-6 on all three scorecards, was done. The Shiro-Alvarado unification bout will probably be rescheduled in 2020, unless Alvarado gets notice of a mandatory challenger.
Result: Ken Shiro (Kenshiro Tiraji) TKO 4 Randy Petalcorin, Light Flyweights (1:08)
Shiro retains World Boxing Council Light Flyweight title
Petacorin down three times in the third round, down and out in the fourth round.
Petalcorin was a late substitute for IBF World Light Flyweight champion Felix Alvarado
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