Takeshi Ishii and Wilfredo Méndez
Clash For the WBA Minimumweight World Title!
By: Rowerth Goncalves
(August 31st) Takeshi Ishii and Wilfredo Méndez clash for the WBA Minimumweight World Title Japanese contender Takeshi Ishii and experienced former Puerto Rican world champion Wilfredo “Bimbito” Méndez will collide in Yokohama, Japan, with the coveted World Boxing Association (WBA) Minimumweight World Title on the line.
Ishii will step into the ring backed by the trademark discipline of the Japanese boxing school, bringing an relentless punching pace, solid conditioning and a strong offensive mindset. The Japanese challenger will look to capitalize on his speed in close quarters and apply constant pressure to cut off the ring, attempting to smother his opponent’s movement with sharp hooks to the body.
Méndez, meanwhile, enters the bout with the pedigree and experience that come with having previously ruled the division. The Puerto Rican southpaw, known for his polished stance and elusive footwork, is expected to focus on controlling the tempo from long and mid-range. “Bimbito” will rely heavily on a precise, well-timed jab to disrupt Ishii’s forward attacks while looking to capitalize on every defensive opening with quick and accurate counterpunches.
Ishii returns to action following a one-year layoff. The Japanese fighter was last seen in September 2025, when he earned a unanimous decision victory over Filipino Jake Amparon.
Méndez has also been out of the ring for a year. In his most recent outing, on September 20, 2025, he fought André Manuel Rodríguez to a split-decision draw.
Alma Meraz Rodríguez Defeats Elizabeth López Corzo
To Retain Her WBA Interim Crown!
By: Rowerth Goncalves
(August 20th) The boxing faithful in Mexicali witnessed a defining night along Mexico’s northern border. In an electrifying contest filled with tactical adjustments and momentum swings, hometown fighter Alma Meraz Rodríguez successfully defended her WBA Interim Light Flyweight Championship, earning a unanimous decision over a determined Elizabeth López Corzo.
López Corzo came out applying relentless pressure, looking to cut off the ring, force the action at close range and wear her opponent down with hooks to the body. Meraz Rodríguez, however, followed a highly disciplined game plan, relying on her footwork and a sharp southpaw jab to neutralize her opponent’s attacks and dictate the tempo from mid- and long range.
As the championship rounds unfolded, the hometown fighter’s composure and precision proved decisive. Meraz not only avoided López Corzo’s most dangerous combinations, but also landed the night’s cleanest and most impactful counterpunches, sending thousands of fans inside the venue into a frenzy.
After the scheduled 10 rounds, the judges’ scorecards confirmed Meraz Rodríguez’s clear superiority, awarding her a unanimous decision victory. With the impressive performance, Alma Meraz Rodríguez retained the prestigious WBA black-and-gold belt at 108 pounds.
John Laryea Suffers First Professional Defeat
In World Boxing Association’s KO to Drugs
Featherweight Eliminator!
By Gabriel F. Cordero – The Philippine Boxing Portal
(August 15th) Another night of the World Boxing Association’s KO to Drugs event took place at the Casino Buenos Aires in the Puerto Madero district of Buenos Aires, featuring six fights with WBA international championships at stake.
In the main event, local fighter Maximiliano Robledo (14-1, 6 Ko’s) defeated Ghanaian John Laryea (17-1-1, 13 Ko’s) by disqualification in the ninth round of a world-championship eliminator.
Argentine Cristian Ayala (16-3-1, 6 Ko’s) defeated Venezuelan Algerbis González (12-6, 10 Ko’s) by third-round knockout to win the WBA Fedelatin welterweight championship. González knocked Ayala down in the first round, but Ayala recovered and remained competitive. In the final round, powerful body shots wore down González, who could no longer withstand the punishment.
Highly touted Argentine Florencia “La Avispa” López (16-0, 0 Ko’s) defeated Mexico’s Elizabeth Cruz (12-4, 2 Ko’s) by unanimous decision, with scores of 110-90, 97-93, and 98-92.
French two-time Olympic medalist Sofiane Oumiha (8-1, 3 Ko’s) retained his WBA Fedelatin USA title with a unanimous-decision victory over experienced Nicaraguan Freddy Laínez (22-6-1, 15 Ko’s).
Oumiha used frequent, precise counters to control Laínez over 10 rounds, winning decisively on scores of 99-91, 97-93, and 98-92.
Italian prospect Piergiulio Ruhe (20-1, 15 Ko’s) retained his WBA Gold super-welterweight title by stopping Venezuelan David Alvarez (18-1, 15 Ko’s) via seventh-round technical knockout.
Spain’s Samuel Carmona (15-1, 6 Ko’s) retained his WBA Intercontinental flyweight title with a unanimous-decision win over Venezuelan Josber Pérez (24-5, 22 Ko’s), with scores of 99-91, 98-92, and 97-93.
Venue: KO A Las Drogas AMB, Casino Buenos Aires, Argentina
Promoter: Fernando Beltran - Promociones Zanfer, Paco Damian - Paco Presents, Sampson Lewkowicz - Sampson Boxing, Sharaf Mahama - Legacy Rise Sports Promotions, Carlos Andres Tello - Tello Box
Full Results
Featherweights: vacant North American Boxing Association Featherweight title
Adrian Maximiliano Robledo WDQ 9/12 John Laryea
Laryea down in the 5th round, deducted one point in the 7th, connected two clear headbutts that were not penalized by the ref, in the 9th, after connecting two blatant low blows -not penalized by the referee Janney Guzman, he impacted a third one so ref disqualified him.
Atomweights: Aldana Florencia Lopez W10 100-90, 97-93, 98-92 Elizabeth Cruz Lopez
Super Featherweights: WBA Fedelatin USA Super Featherweight title
Sofiane Oumiha W10 97-93, 99-91, 98-92 Freddy Lainez
Welterweights: Cristian Javier Ayala KO3/10 Algerbis Rafael Gonzalez
Ayala down in the 1st round and Gonzalez down in the 3rd
Super Welterweights: Piergiulio Ruhe TKO7/10 David Alvarez
Alvarez down twice in the 7th round
Flyweights: Samuel Carmona W10 99-91, 97-93, 98-92 Josber Perez
Santiago Named Champion In Recess:
Kira & Cañizales To Fight For WBA Light Flyweight Title!
By: Jesús Milano
(July 28th) The Championships Committee of the World Boxing Association (WBA) has declared René Santiago Champion in Recess and approved a bout between Daiya Kira and Carlos Cañizales for the WBA World Light Flyweight (108 lbs.) Championship.
Santiago was scheduled to defend his crown against Kira, the division’s mandatory challenger. However, his team informed the Committee that an injury would prevent him from fulfilling the mandatory defense. As a result, the WBA requested all relevant medical documentation for review by its Medical Committee before reaching a decision.
WBA Rule C.14 states that when a World Champion is unable to defend his title within the prescribed time periods due to medical, legal, or other justifiable reasons reasonably beyond his control, the inactive champion may be designated Champion in Recess, and the Committee may order the appropriate championship bout in accordance with WBA Rules C.22 through C.24. Medical reasons must be documented to the satisfaction of the Chairman of the Medical Committee, who may require additional medical examinations or reports.
Following its review, the Committee decided to designate Santiago as Champion in Recess and ordered a championship bout between the WBA’s No. 1-ranked contender, Japan’s Daiya Kira, and the organization’s No. 2-ranked contender, Venezuela’s Carlos Cañizales. The two will meet for the vacant WBA World Light Flyweight Championship on September 2 in Yokohama, Japan.
The WBA Medical Committee will remain in communication with Santiago’s team to monitor the progress of his recovery and determine the timeline for his return, which must come against the winner of the Kira-Cañizales bout. Any issues that arise during this process will be resolved in accordance with WBA Rules.
World Boxing Association History
Our organization was born as the National Boxing Association (NBA) in 1921, in Rhode Island, as an entity devoted to the government and control of this professional activity, with limited jurisdiction in the United States. Boxing was the breach of the world at the time it worn out by wars and the economic crisis. During 41 years the National Boxing Association developed a very interesting and unquestionable work for the benefit of boxing. The NBA accomplished the heavyweight championships with world recognition like Dempsey-Firpo, Dempsey-Carpentier and the memorable fights big hands “The killer” against Tunney, in 1927. For the first time in USA, a radio transmission of boxing was made by initiative of J. Andrew White, who narrated the Packey O’Gatty and Frankie Burs fight from the Boyle’s Thirty Acres of New Jersey. That same night Jack Dempsey defeated Georges Carpentier.
Fernando Mandry Galíndez told us, that the importance on how boxing led the way of a repudiated activity to an activity that has great promoters of unsuspected abilities and creativity.
Tex Rickard makes the old Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of boxing, in the heart of New York, the center of the United States. Rickard’s imagination achieved the incredible ticket collection of more than two million of dollars.
Rickard dies unexpectedly in Miami 1931 of appendicitis. However, other hands and entrepreneurs with the initiative and experience left by Tex, appeared in Boxing. The incredible Joe Louis appeared and conquered the Heavyweight Title in a very short time in the late 30’s, when, in the 40’s Uncle Sam called everyone to the war.
That war silenced the fans, because everything pointed towards Europe, where big battles were taking place, but in the late 40’s when the war ended boxing became stronger and the first sports activity worldwide. Great champions were born in those golden years and spread to all divisions and to all the latitudes of the world.
Boxing becomes so important that makes it necessary the adoption of new rules, new authorities, capable of coping with that new trend. They centralized in a real governing organization, its direction and guide.
The name changes in 1962
The universal projection of boxing, its strength, and the presence of important people, urge an organization with a real world vision, and on August 23, 1962, when the circumstances and a future vision, forces the need of a real organization that gave professional boxing its universal value. It is then that NBA, pioneer of the nationwide boxing conduction, becomes, a universal alliance into the World Boxing Association. 80 years of constant activity and a continuous search for the boxing benefit. Its first constitution was elemental and simple, as well as conservative, without amendments until the Annual Convention of Cartagena in 1978, when the first amendment directed to the preservation of decisions contrary to the condition of members was approved. Thereafter, in 1980 in Puerto Rico, were made other amendments that only contributed to make an incoherent constitution.
It was until 1991, in the Convention of Panama, when the approval to a constitution amendment project, after long years of struggle was given.
To name all the achievements of the WBA in this brief interview goes beyond his possibilities.
Deep changes have been made ever since 1979, when the Norms and Procedure for Ratings were approved, becoming a fundamental stone for the ratings making. A new World Championships Regulation was adopted that gathers the invaluable experience of 80 years of tireless and restless struggle for the defense of the so complex interests of all the acts of this professional activity.
Very important contributions have been made by the Medical and International Officials Seminars bound for the improvement of all the WBA boxing family members especially judges, referees, commission members, managers, trainers, who constitute the pyramid of our organization.
The KO Drugs Campaign carried out by our president Gilberto Mendoza ever since 1988, deserves a separate and special comment. The idea grew and it has spread all over the world, catching the eye and the interest of people and governments, our campaign has already become familiar, millions of children and adolescent share their will, pledge and struggle, and we consider it as a great achievement of the WBA president Gilberto Mendoza for the future safety of our people and our youth.
During the 80 years of existence, the WBA had been led by 43 North American presidents, except for the Canadians Frank Hogas (1937) and Nero McKenzie (1964). In 1964, the Panamanian Doctor Elías Córdova, became the first Latin American to enter in the WBA Executive Committee, and 10 years later, in the Convention of Panama he became president of the organization. Since then, the WBA presidents have been Latin Americans. Cordova’s presidency lasted until 1976, followed by Fernando Mandry Galindez, then came the Panamanian Rodrigo Sánchez, and finally Gilberto Mendoza.
Another achievement of Gilberto Mendoza, that was is worth mention is the decentralization of boxing through the creation of the regional organizations: Latin American Boxing Federation (FEDELATIN), the Pan Asian Boxing Association (PABA), the Bolivarian Boxing Federation (FEDEBOL) and the Central America Boxing Federation (FEDECENTRO), North America Boxing Association (NABA), World Boxing Association International (WBAI) and the Pan African Boxing Association (PFBA).
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