WOWOW to Broadcast and Stream 'Excite Match SP' Featuring New WBC Light Flyweight Champion Shokichi Iwata on June 15

Shokichi Iwata, the newly crowned WBC Light Flyweight Champion, will appear on the 'Excite Match SP: Olascuaga vs. Jukiya Iimura / CP Freshmart vs. Shokichi Iwata' program, scheduled to be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW on June 15 at 9:00 PM.

On March 15, Iwata challenged WBC Light Flyweight Champion Knockout CP Freshmart at Yokohama BUNTAI and secured an 8th-round TKO victory. In this program, Iwata will personally commentate on the match in which he reclaimed the world title after losing it a year earlier.

After winning the WBO Light Flyweight title in October 2024, Iwata lost the belt in his first defense match against Rene Santiago in March of last year by decision. Facing a second world title shot, Iwata entered the ring with his back against the wall. His opponent, Knockout CP Freshmart, is a legendary Thai boxer who defended the WBA Minimumweight title 16 times and achieved a two-division championship by winning the WBC Light Flyweight title last December. Iwata prepared for this match by developing a new style focused on speed, movement, and high volume.

During the match, Knockout suffered a cut above his left eye from an accidental headbutt in the third round. The fight was stopped in the eighth round due to the injury. Initially, Iwata was declared the winner by a 3-0 technical decision. However, a subsequent video review determined that the cut was caused by a legal punch, officially changing the result to a TKO victory.

Reflecting on his victory, Iwata expressed his relief and confidence, stating that he is glad he did not quit boxing. His next match is expected to be his first title defense against mandatory challenger Erik Badillo. Iwata also expressed his goal of unifying the four major titles.

In addition, the program will cover the WBO World Flyweight title match between champion Anthony Olascuaga and challenger Jukiya Iimura. Special guest Shokichi Iwata will be joined by commentators Tsuyoshi Hamada and Hozumi Hasegawa.

Furthermore, WOWOW will broadcast and stream 'Excite Match SP: Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Estrada' on June 22 at 9:00 PM, featuring the WBC World Bantamweight title eliminator between Tenshin Nasukawa and Juan Francisco Estrada.