By Hisao Adachi, photos by Naoki Fukuda

On Tuesday in Tokyo, a press conference was held to officially announce the upcoming defense of unbeaten World Boxing Council (WBC) junior flyweight champion Ken Shiro (13-0, 7 KOs), who will defend the title against Filipino challenger and former world champion Milan Melindo (37-3, 13 KOs) on October 7 at Yokohama Arena in Yokohama City, near Tokyo.

The fight will take place on the same card where the undefeated Japanese "regular" bantamweight king of the World Boxing Association (WBA) Naoya "Monster"Inoue is going to make the first defense of his crown against Dominican challenger Juan Carlos Payano in the first round of the World Boxing Super Series tournament.

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For Shiro, he will be the fourth defense of his WBC flyweight title, which he conquered in May 2017 in Tokyo when he defeated by a majority decision the Mexican Gánigan "El Maravilla" López, whom he knocked out in the second round in the rematch that took place in Tokyo in May.

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In his first title defense held in Tokyo in October 2017, Ken Shiro won by majority decision his defiant Mexican-Sinaloan Pedro "Jibrán" Guevara.

The second defense of Shiro was against the Panamanian Gilberto "Cacique" Pedroza, whom he liquidated through a TKO in the fourth round.

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Melindo will make his third fight in Japan followed a first round knockout of Akira Yaegashi to snatch the International Boxing Federation title in May 2017 in Tokyo and the second bout took place on the New Year's Eve 2017 in Tokyo, where he was defeated by decision by the then universal junior flyweight champion of the WBA, Ryoichi Taguchi, in a unification duel.

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