Shokichi Iwata vs Erik Badillo Preview July 20th, 2026
WBC Junior Flyweight Champion Shokichi Iwata of Japan defends his belt this Monday, July 20th. when he takes on unbeaten Erik Badillo of Mexico. Iwata last fought in March when he stopped Thammanoon Niyomtrong (also known as Knockout CP Freshmart) in the eighth round to win the title. Iwata won the vacant WBO version of the title by halting Jairo Noriega in the third round in October, 2024 but lost it in his first defence when he dropped a unanimous decision to Rene Santiago. He then bounced back from that defeat by stopping Edwin Cano Hernandez in the seventh round seven months later. Badillo was last in the ring in November when he beat Elwin Soto via a 10-round unanimous decision. Monday’s fight can be seen on U-Next in Japan while ESPN Knockout will have it in Latin America in the early morning hours ET.
Iwata vs Badillo Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Erik Badillo +153
- Shokichi Iwata -200
My Pick
Iwata is 30-years-old, has boxed 120 rounds since making his pro debut in 2018 and carries around a record of 16-2 with 13 Ko’s. Before that he enjoyed a fine amateur career with wins over Kosei Tanaka and Takuma Inoue and won the national boxing tournament while still in high school. He won his pro debut over Joel Bermudez in Carson, California and has fought exclusively in Japan since then.
When it comes to power, Iwata has plenty of it in his fists to cause some damage as 81.2 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including his last seven straight. He stands 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 64-inch so gives up an inch in height to Badillo. Iwata also possesses fine boxing skills to accompany his impressive power punching.
As a pro he’s also won the vacant Japanese Light Flyweight Title as well as the Oriental and Pacific, and WBO Asia Pacific Light Flyweight Belts. Iwata’s first pro defeat came at the hands of Jonathan Gonzalez via a unanimous decision in 2022 in a shot at the WBO Light Flyweight Title when he first stepped up in class and he also lost to Rene Santiago when attempting to defend his WBO Belt.
Badillo is also 30 years old and is a southpaw who possesses a perfect record of 19-0 with 8 Ko’s. He stands 5-feet-5-inches tall but unfortunately has an unlisted reach and has 117 rounds of pro experience to his name since making his debut in 2018. As far as his power is concerned, he doesn’t come close to matching Iwata as his current knockout ratio clocks in at 42.1 per cent.
Badillo has gone the distance in his last three outings after recording three straight stoppages and has gone the distance in five of his past eight contests. He beat Neider Valdez Aguilar by a fifth-round TKO in 2024 to capture the WBC Silver Light Flyweight Title. He also has wins over Miguel Angel Herrera and Gerardo Zapata by 10-round unanimous decisions. Just eight of Badillo’s 19 opponents entered the ring without a winning record.
Prediction…
Iwata’s first two world class opponents were Jonathan Gonzalez and Rene Santiago and he fell just short in those fights but he turned the corner by beating Niyomtrong. Iwata is more of a knockout artist while Badillo has the better overall skills. This should be a very close contest as Badillo will likely rack up rounds on the scorecards unless Iwata keeps him on the back foot. I’m leaning towards Iwata pulling it out in his homeland here as long as he’s aggressive but I certainly give Badillo a chance if it goes the distance.
Fighting at home and his power should give Iwata the edge.
Play: Iwata -265 @ BetOnline.ag
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Erik Badillo betting • Shokichi Iwata betting