Yesterday we saw Andy Hiraoka (24-0, 19) [平岡アンディ] score the biggest win of his career, as he easily dealt with dangerous veteran Ismael Barroso (25-5-2, 23) in a WBA eliminator at 140lbs. Today, following that bout, Hiraoka was part of a press conference talking about the fight, what it meant, and what the future plans are.
Regarding the performance Hiraoka stated "When I watched the video, I did better than I thought. I could tell that my opponent felt the distance was too far. I was able to do many things just like I practiced, such as spot-on counterattacks." This was echoed by promoter Hideyuki Ohashim who was full of praise for his charge, stating "He outboxed an opponent with one punch and defeated him in the end. It was the best fight of his career." Before adding that "We would like to proceed with the discussion towards a world championship." As they look to make the most of Gilberto Mendoza’s current visit to Japan.
Hiraoak went on to say "I want to improve myself more and more, practice even better and move forward. I think I can take on any champion."
Hiraoka now has he eyes not just on improving but also securing a shot at Jose "Rayo" Valenzuela (14-2, 9), the current WBA champion, and knows a win over “Rayo” would see him become the first Japanese champion at 140lbs since Hiranaka Akinobu [平仲 明信] beat Edwin Rosario for the WBA title way back in 1992, more than 30 years ago.
It would seem likely Ohashi will be pushing to land the fight either at the end of the year, on another stacked Japanese card, or traveling to the US to land the fight early in the new year.
