Magnesi faces Japanese Rikiishi
On March 22, Italian star Michael Magnesi (23-1, 13KO) will defend his WBC Silver super featherweight title against the Japanese challenger Masanori Rikiishi (14-1, 9KO) in Italy.
Magnesi will seek to obtain a resounding victory that brings him closer to an opportunity to compete for the coveted Green and Gold Crown against the current champion, Texan O’Shaquie Foster.
The 29-year-old Italian will have to deal with the fearsome southpaw of Rikiishi, a native of Nagoya, with only one defeat in his career, unbeaten since 2018 and currently ranked #5 in the WBC, one position above Michael.
His loss cam early in his career, in fight three against a winning opponent with 20-bouts experience. Since 2022, he has won Oriental and Pacific, and WBO Asia super-featherweight titles.
The "Lone Wolf" from Lazio is a former IBO World super featherweight champion, who lost his title in his third defence to Belfast's Anthony Cacace in 2022. He has since won back to back WBC Silver championship contests against two unbeaten opponents.