By Hisao Adachi

Former interim junior middleweight world champion and current WBA # 2 ranked Japanese middleweight Nobuhiro Ishida (25-9-2, 10KOs, 38 years old and Green Tsuda Boxing Gym Osaka City) has an ambitious desire to take action in the heavyweight division in Japan in search of new horizons.

Last March, Ishida suffered a deadly knockout at the hands of WBA/IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in three rounds. It was Ishida's third consecutive loss and his first knockout defeat. And it initially appeared that Ishida would retire, but then he came back in August and knocked out Elly Pangaribuan in two rounds.

On December 16, Ishida, Japan's second-ranked middleweight, told the JBC (Japanese Boxing Commission) that he would like to make an attempt in that division.

Ishida launched a challenge to Japanese heavyweight champion and world ranked Kyotaro Fujimoto (8-1, 5KOs, 27 years of age and Jewelry Kadoebi-Boxing Gym in Tokyo and former K-1 world champion).

The JBC (Japanese Boxing Commission) understands the desire of  Ishida, but can not give him permission to directly challenge Kyotaro Fujimoto, due to lack of fights in the heavyweight division.

Ishida, who lives in the city of Osaka with his wife and children, will see action on Saturday, January 11th at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, where he will attempt to convince the JBC by conducting three rounds of sparring with Japanese heavyweight Fujinaka Yamato (4-3, 1KO, 28 years old and Kaneko Boxing Gym in Tokyo and former sumo wrestler) in a boxing evening will be hosted by the Kadoebi-Boxing Gym.

This sparring session with Ishida will take place prior to the 12-round main event for the regional OPBF title between two lightweights Yoshitaka Kato and Masayoshi Nakatani.

If Ishida does well in sparring, he may be classified as a challenger for the Japanese heavyweight title and get sanctioned by the JBC to face Japanese heavyweight champion Kyotaro Fujimoto, who returns on the 30th of April at Korakuen Hall.