Angel Ayala vs Masamichi Yabuki Preview March 29th, 2025
IBF Light Flyweight Champion and former WBC Champion Masamichi Yabuki moves up to the flyweight division this Saturday, March 29th to challenge unbeaten IBF Champion Angel Ayala of Mexico. The 12-rounder from Tokoname, Japan can be seen live in Latin America and Mexico in ESPN Knockout, getting underway about 4am ET. Yabuki last fought in October when he stopped Siventathi Nontshinga in the ninth round to win his light flyweight belt. Ayala’s last fight resulted in a sixth-round TKO over Dave Apolinario to win the vacant IBF Flyweight Crown.
Ayala vs Yabuki Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Angel Ayala +170
- Masamichi Yabuki -145
My Pick
The 24-year-old Ayala makes the ring walk with a perfect mark of 18-0 with 8 Ko’s and has boxed 105 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019 as a teenager. The champion carries below average power in his fists as just 44.4 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage and he’s gone the distance in six of his past nine contests. He stands 5-feet-6-inches tall and possesses a 66-inch reach which means he’s just half-an-inch taller than Yabuki and has a slight 1.5-inch reach advantage.
Ayala won the vacant WBC Fecarbox Flyweight Title in 2021 via a 10-round unanimous decision over Jeovani Gonzalez. He then added the vacant American Boxing Federation Inter-Continental Flyweight Belt with a seven-round technical decision over Brandon Gallardo Vargas. That fight went to the scorecards after seven rounds due to heavy rainfall. Ayala also has wins over Luis Castro, Juan Zuniga, Cristofer Rosales, Miguel Angel Herrera and Felix Alvarado.
Yabuki is a solid 32-year-old pro with a record of 17-4 with 16 Ko’s with two of his defeats coming by way of stoppage. He’s just over 5-feet-5-inches in height with a 64.5-inch reach. He’s boxed just 92 rounds since making his pro debut in 2016 as he’s gone the distance just three times. This is because he also possesses tremendous power as 94 per cent of his wins have come by knockout. The biggest of these victories was an upset 10th-round stoppage over fellow countryman Kenshiro Teraji in September, 2021 to win the WBC Light Flyweight Belt.
Things didn’t go too well in the rematch six months later though as Teraji avenged the defeat and took his title back by stopping Yabuki in the third round. Yabuki’s first defeat came at the hands of Junto Nakatani by four-round unanimous decision in 2016 and he was stopped two years later by Seigo Yuri Akui in just 92 seconds. His other loss also came in 2018 when he was edged via an eight-round split decision by Daniel Matellon. Since turning pro, Yabuki has also claimed the vacant Japanese Light Flyweight Title and has wins over Gilberto Pedroza and Ronald Chacon.
Prediction…
Yabuki rarely sees the finish line as he typically stops his opponent or is stopped himself sand he’s taken on some of the top Japanese boxers of his era in Kenshiro Teraji, Junto Nakatani and Seigo Yuri Akui. He is eight years older than Ayala and moving up in weight to try to win a title in a second weight class but his power and the fact that Ayala is fighting outside of Mexico for the first time evens things up a little. Yuabuki definitely has the power to take Ayala’s title if he catches him flush but he could just as easily be stopped if he’s on the receiving end of a big shot even though Ayala possesses average power only. Ayala has the skills to retain his belt in a boxing match while Yabuki has the power to stop him in a brawl, but owns an unreliable chin. I can see this going either way as it’s a tossup but I’m leaning towards Yabuki due to his power.
Yabuki has the power to win another belt.
Play: Yabuki -145 @ BetOnline.ag
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Angel Ayala betting • Masamichi Yabuki betting