SAN FRANCISCO – Anthony Olascuaga went from walking Junto Nakatani to the ring in front of a sizable audience of 55,000 fans to locking in his own summertime bout whose crowd, according to some estimations, could double that figure.
Olascuaga will attempt to make his sixth defense of the WBO flyweight title on July 11 against Andy Dominguez in San Francisco. The event, which was introduced in a press conference Thursday aboard a yacht at Pier 33 Alcatraz Landing in San Francisco, will take place outside the Civic Center Plaza, with City Hall as its backdrop.
Last Saturday, Olascuaga, 12-1 (9 KOs), was ringside as his teammate Nakatani entered the biggest fight of his career, facing “The Monster” Naoya Inoue in Tokyo. Although Nakatani came up short in a unanimous decision loss, the 27-year-old Olascuaga’s own fortunes were quickly lifted when he found himself as the center of attention on a luxury Hornblower Hybrid yacht touring the waters outside the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. Olascuaga will headline against Dominguez in a card that organizers hope will challenge boxing’s attendance world record of 135,132 live attendees who witnessed Tony Zale fight Billy Pryor in Milwaukee in 1941.
“It was surreal, especially since I was able to walk with [Nakatani],” Olascuaga told BoxingScene. “He always supported me when I fought in Japan, and it felt nice to do the same, especially at that stage.”
Olascuaga will be in his second main event as a titleholder after knocking out Juan Carlos Camacho atop a Las Vegas bill last September. He has fought twice since Camacho, winning both fights by stoppage.
The San Francisco show will mark a homecoming of sorts.
Olascuaga is from Los Angeles, which, despite being a six-hour car trip or an hour flight from the Bay Area, is still far closer than Japan, where he has spent most of his title reign. Olascuaga is eager to put his best first forward in a high-profile flyweight bout in his home state.
“Just like a heavyweight, I am here to knock the other guy out,” Olascuaga said. “I may not have heavyweight power, but I have flyweight power, and that goes a long way.”
Rudy Hernandez, Olascuaga’s trainer, has worked with him since the amateurs. Hernandez, who has worked with various titleholders throughout his career, including Nakatani, knows how fleeting these moments are.
“There is only a very short life lived as a world champion,” Hernandez told BoxingScene. “I don’t care if it is one title defense or 20 title defenses; it is a short life lived, and you've got to make the best out of it.”
Dominguez, 13-1 (6 KOs), who is entering on a three-fight win streak, will be getting his first title shot. A 28-year-old from Mexico and now fighting out of Las Vegas, Dominguez defeated Byron Rojas last July via a split decision. He recently started training again with Ismael Salas in January, after a brief time spent in Los Angeles training.
“Hopefully, it goes our way and he continues on,” Hernandez said of Olascuaga. “These are just chapters that are being written in boxing history.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
