Shokichi Iwata’s victory lap will be brief.
Fresh off his big win over Thammanoon Niyomtrong to lift the WBC 108lbs title, Japan’s Iwata has already been summoned to next face mandatory challenger Erik Badillo. The bout was ordered on Friday by the WBC, with a 30-day negotiation period assigned to the proposed contest.
Should the two sides fail to reach terms, the matter will automatically head to an April 21 purse bid hearing.
Iwata, 16-2 (12 KOs), a 30-year-old two-time titlist from Tokyo, is promoted by Akihiko Honda’s Teiken Promotions. Mexico’s Badillo, 19-0 (8 KOs) is represented by Sampson Lewkowicz’s Sampson Boxing.
Iwata became a two-time junior flyweight titlist after he dethroned Niyomtrong via technical decision this past Sunday in Yokohama, Japan. A clash of heads left Thailand’s Niyomtron with a bad gash over his left eye. The cut worsened – as did the performance of the visiting two-division titlist before the fight was stopped midway through Round 8.
WBC rules dictate that judges are to score partial rounds when stopped due to an accidental foul. Iwata was well ahead to that point and picked up his second title at 108lbs, one year after – and nearly to the day of – his upset defeat by Rene Santiago last March 13 at Kokugikan in Tokyo. That setback ended Iwata’s WBO title stay after just five months.
The hope is for his second act to last longer, at least through his first title defense.
On paper, it’s a dangerous assignment against the well-schooled Badillo, who will be entering his first scheduled 12-round affair once the fight is set.
Badillo, a 30-year-old southpaw from Mexico City, emerged as a contender in 2025. It coincided with his US debut, as his past two fights have both aired live on ProBox TV from Save Mart Arena in Fresno, California.
Prior to his July 12 win over Gerardo Zapata, Badillo fought exclusively in Mexico and versus made-to-order competition. He turned a corner in 2025, first against a former title challenger in Zapata and a former WBO titlist in Elwin Soto, whom he handily defeated last November.
Interestingly, the fight was ordered while former titlist Carlos Canizales remains the champion in recess. The frustrated Venezuelan Canizales was relieved of his reign due to his inability to travel to Thailand for a scheduled defense last December. The bout was to have headlined a card dedicated to the annual WBC convention.
However, it was unfortunately timed with the foreign travel ban applied to Venezuela because of the growing conflict with the US, which held a strong military presence in the nation at the time. The U.S. Department of State has listed Venezuela as a Level 4 travel risk (“Do not travel”) since last May, citing unrest, terrorism and wrongful detention, among several other issues.
Canizales was left without sufficient means to travel to Bangkok in time to honor the fight date. WBC officials offered little more than token sympathy before stripping his title – though with the promise of allowing him to re-enter the mix the moment Canizales is able to resume his career.
Presumably, that will have to come after Iwata-Badillo.
